Ground roast coffee tablet

ABSTRACT

A ground roast coffee tablet which is capable of being brewed in a conventional automatic drip coffee maker, and which exhibits sufficient strength to withstand all aspects of manufacture, handling, packaging, transport without breakage but also readily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing, is made by subjecting conventional ground, roasted coffee to a multi-step compaction process in which at least two compression steps are carried out in the same compaction die.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and any other benefit of, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/318,028, entitled GROUNDROAST COFFEE TABLET and filed Mar. 26, 2010. This application is also acontinuation-in-part of and claims priority to, and any other benefitof, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/753,332 (Attorney Docket No.26416/05900), entitled GROUND ROAST COFFEE TABLET and filed Apr. 2,2010, which claims priority to, and any other benefit of, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/168,027, entitled GROUNDROAST COFFEE TABLET and filed Mar. 26, 2010. The entire disclosures ofeach of the above references is fully incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Automatic Drip Coffee makers (“ADCs”) are designed for processing“ground roast coffee” or “coffee,” i.e., granulated coffee obtained bygrinding previously roasted coffee beans. Because of differences inflavor strength among different coffees, as well as variations inpersonal taste, consumers may find it difficult to determine the correctdose (amount) of coffee to use for brewing pots of different sizes.

To deal with this problem, a number of products have been introduced inwhich the coffee is provided in standardized doses. For example, filterpacks in which a predetermined amount of coffee, e.g., enough coffee tobrew 4, 10 or 12 servings of brewed coffee, is provided in a filterpaper container. However, this approach cannot be used for brewing one,or only a few, servings of coffee, as the consumer is required to makethe amount of servings for which the filter pack is designed. Inaddition, it is difficult to change the strength of the brewed coffee.

In an alternate approach, single serving “pods” have been provided inwhich enough ground roast coffee for brewing only a single serving ishoused in a filter paper container. However, single serving pods musthave a specific configuration to fit brewer(s) for which they aredesigned. Machines used to brew coffee with these pods are fundamentallydifferent from automatic drip coffee makers. They are also limited tomaking a single cup at a time, which limits their usefulness in makinglarger amounts of brewed coffee.

A further approach combines the idea of a single cup brew is found inproducts such as Folgers® coffee singles. These can be made withmixtures of instant and ground roast coffee. While they do not have tofit a particular brewer, they still are designed for only a single cupof coffee.

In still another approach, separate “tablets” are provided which aremade solely out of instant coffee (also referred to as soluble coffee).However, instant coffee is not preferred by some consumers.

SUMMARY

In accordance with this invention, coffee tablets for use in aconventional automatic drip coffee maker are provided.

A first exemplary coffee tablet is made by a multi-step compactionprocess in which at least a first compression and a separate secondcompression are carried out in the same compaction die in such a mannerthat the coffee tablet obtained exhibits a hardness of at least about 30N (Newtons), a friability of no greater than about 10%, and readilydisintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in anautomatic drip coffee maker (ADC).

A second exemplary coffee tablet is made by a multi-step compactionprocess in which a pre-compression step is carried out at a lowercompaction force but in the same compaction die as the main compressionstep so that the coffee tablet obtained exhibits a hardness of at leastabout 30 N (Newtons), a friability of no greater than about 10%, andreadily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in anADC.

A third exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee, has a density of at least 0.95 g/cm³, and exhibits ahardness of at least about 30 N (Newtons), a friability of no greaterthan about 10%, and readily disintegrates when contacted with hot waterduring brewing in an ADC.

A fourth exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee and at least 1.5 wt. % propylene glycol, and exhibits ahardness of at least about 30 N (Newtons), a friability of no greaterthan about 10%, and readily disintegrates when contacted with hot waterduring brewing in an ADC.

A fifth exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee and at least 1.5 wt. % of a liquid flavor carrier, andexhibits a hardness of at least about 30 N (Newtons), a friability of nogreater than about 10%, and readily disintegrates when contacted withhot water during brewing in an ADC.

A sixth exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee and an amount of instant coffee large enough to improve atleast one mechanical property of the tablet selected from bindingstrength, ease of disintegration, and brewing efficiency (as determinedby the amount of coffee solids extracted from the tablet when subjectedto brewing in an ADC).

A seventh exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee, and exhibits a hardness of at least about 50 N (Newtons)and a friability of no greater than about 3.5%, and readilydisintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in an ADC.

An eighth exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee, has a mass less than about 4 g, and exhibits a friabilityof no greater than about 6% and readily disintegrates when contactedwith hot water during brewing in an ADC having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, wherein ten (10) of the tablets, unbroken,are capable of brewing with 1420 ml of water in an automatic drip coffeemaker a consumable coffee beverage having an absorbance of 1.1-3.5 or1.25-2.75 or 1.7-2.5, and wherein the coffee tablets exhibit a yieldgreater than 26% when brewed in the ADC.

A ninth exemplary coffee tablet comprises at least about 91% groundroast coffee and exhibits a friability of no greater than about 6%, andreadily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in anADC having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, whereinten (10) of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with 1420 mlof water in an automatic drip coffee maker a consumable coffee beveragehaving an absorbance per gram of >0.07 or >0.09, and wherein the coffeetablets exhibit a yield greater than 26% when brewed in the ADC.

A tenth exemplary coffee tablet is made by a multi-step compactionprocess in which at least a first compression and a separate secondcompression are carried out in the same compaction die in such a mannerthat the coffee tablet obtained exhibits a hardness of at least about 40N (Newtons) and a friability of no greater than about 6%, and readilydisintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing in an ADC.

An eleventh exemplary coffee tablet is made by a multi-step compactionprocess in which a pre-compression step is carried out at a lowercompaction force but in the same compaction die as the main compressionstep wherein the pre-compression compaction force is ˜20% to <100%, ˜30%to ˜90%, ˜40% to ˜80%, or ˜50% to ˜75%, or ˜50% to ˜60% of thecompaction force used in the main compression step.

A twelfth exemplary coffee tablet is made by a multi-step compactionprocess in which a pre-compression step is carried out at a lowercompaction force but in the same compaction die as the main compressionstep wherein the pre-compression pressure is ˜20% to <100%, ˜30% to˜90%, ˜40% to ˜80%, or ˜50% to ˜75%, or ˜50% to ˜60% of the pressureused in the main compression step.

An exemplary process for producing a coffee tablet includes subjectingground roast coffee to a multi-step compaction process including apre-compression step and a subsequent main compression step, thepre-compression step being carried out at a lower compaction force butin the same compaction die as the main compression step so as to producea coffee tablet exhibiting a hardness when dry of at least about 30 N(Newtons), a friability when dry of no greater than about 10%, andreadily disintegrates when contacted with hot water during brewing inthe ADC.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention may be more readily understood by reference to thefollowing drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the effect achieved on the hardness, friability andextraction efficiency of the inventive coffee tablets when thepre-compression force used in the inventive manufacturing process isaltered;

FIG. 2 shows the results obtained in the following working Example 6 andillustrates how including instant coffee in the inventive ground roastcoffee tablets allows a more efficient fill and higher operating speedsof the automatic tabletting machine used to make these tablets;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the results obtained in the following workingExample 11 in which a flavorant is included in the inventive groundroast coffee tablets;

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate results obtained in the following workingExample 19 in which inventive coffee tablets and their roasted andground coffee counterpart have been brewed to measure extracted coffeesolids and cumulative yields over the course of each brew, as comparedto the brew characteristics of a competitive coffee tablet

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate additional results obtained in the followingworking Example 19 in which other inventive coffee tablets and theirroasted and ground coffee counterpart have been brewed to measureextracted coffee solids and cumulative yields over the course of eachbrew; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the results obtained in the following workingExample 19 in which other inventive coffee tablets have been brewed tomeasure extracted coffee solids and cumulative yields over the course ofeach brew.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Terminology

Unless otherwise indicated expressly or from context, the followingterms will have the following meanings:

“Binder” means a material which improves the strength of the groundroast coffee tablets made in accordance with this invention. “Binder”does not include ingredients which, although providing some bindingactivity, provide some other function in significant amount such ascontributing to taste, health effects, etc.

“Brewed coffee” means a liquid coffee drink formed by extracting coffeesolids from ground, roasted coffee beans or substitutes. “Brewed coffee”includes coffee drinks formed from regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee,instant coffee and coffee substitutes such as chicory.

“Coffee,” “regular coffee,” and “ground roast coffee” mean a mass ofsolid, non-decaffeinated particles derived by comminuting roasted coffeebeans.

“Coffee product” means any product derived from coffee beans.

“Coffee substitute” refers to a substance which is customarily used as areplacement for coffee such as ground roast chicory, roasted soybeans,and roasted grains such as corn/maize, barley, rye, oats, rice, wheatgerm, spelt, buckwheat, and millet.

“Decaffeinated coffee” refers to a solid derived from coffee beans, bothroasted and unroasted, which contain a substantially reducedconcentration of caffeine.

“Density,” as it relates to ground roast coffee and unless otherwiseindicated, refers to the number of ounces of that coffee that are neededto fill a container having a predetermined standard volume. Historicallyin the United States, one pound (16 ounces or 454 g) of ground roastcoffee had a standard density of ˜0.4 g/cc and a conventional moisturecontent of about 1-7%. However, technologies have allowed lower densitycoffees to be made, so today a more standard density is ˜0.33 g/cc. Evenlower densities are possible, such as ˜0.263 g/cc.

“Free-standing” in reference to a coffee tablet means that the coffeetablet is not housed in a filter paper container (or other containermade from a similar material) which is intended to remain in place,around the tablet, when the tablet is contacted with hot water forbrewing.

“Flavor Carrier” refers to a material for containing, carrying, orotherwise being mixed with coffee flavorant to facilitate using thecoffee flavorant. Coffee flavorants are normally added to coffeeproducts by means of such flavor carriers, which are provided to makedispensing, metering and mixing of the flavorant with the coffee producteasier. For example flavorants may be added to a flavor carrier in aproportion so that a consistent weight percentage (e.g., 3%) of thefinal carrier-containing flavorant compositions can be added to groundroast coffee regardless of the particular flavorant or flavor carrier.Flavor carriers can be in dry, liquid, or paste forms andcarrier-containing flavorant compositions added to ground roast coffeecan be in dry, liquid, or paste forms.

“Instant coffee” refers to a flowable, particulate coffee product thathas been made by evaporating water from a previously made brewed coffee,usually by concentration and drying. Typical drying means, such as spraydrying and freeze drying are known in the art. An example of instantcoffee production may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,466, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

“Standard serving of brewed coffee” refers, for each country of theworld, brewed coffee as customarily served in that country. For example,in the United States, brewed coffee is served in two different ways,regular strength and espresso strength. In both cases, about 3-5 gramsof ground roast coffee is used to make the brewed coffee. An exemplaryFolgers brand medium roast, ADC ground coffee is brewed using about 3grams of the ground roast coffee having a density of about 0.33 g/cc tomake the brew. Regular strength coffee is made with about 5-6 fluidounces (˜150-175 ml) of water, while espresso strength coffee is madewith about 1.9 fluid ounces (˜55 ml) of water. Thus, in the UnitedStates, a “standard serving of brewed coffee” will be understood asreferring to 5-6 fluid ounces (˜150-175 ml) of regular strength brewedcoffee as well as to roughly 1.9 fluid ounces (˜55 ml) of espressostrength brewed coffee.

Automatic Drip Coffee Makers

This invention is intended for use with any automatic drip coffee maker(“ADC”) designed for producing brewed coffee by hot water extraction inwhich hot water is dripped onto a bed of ground roast coffee. While hotwater at a wide range of temperatures may be employed, exemplarytemperature ranges for hot water for brewing may include about 70-120°C., about 80-110° C., about 80-100° C., or about 90-100° C.

Normally, the ground roast coffee is deposited in a “brew basket,” i.e.,a container having an open top and a floor defining one or more outletopenings, the brew basket containing a paper or metal mesh or plasticmesh coffee filter in most instances. Brew baskets are often shaped inthe form of a truncated cone or other similar wedge shapes, so thattheir side walls direct flow to the more confined area of thecontainers' floor. The most common brew baskets are referred to as“basket” style and “cone” style. Once activated, the machineautomatically heats water previously placed in its water reservoir andthen causes this heated brewing water to drip down onto the coffee bedin the brew basket over a suitable period of time (the “brewing cycletime”). Another style of machine has a reservoir of hot water that isdisplaced by new water added. In either case, the machine delivers hotwater at or slightly above atmospheric pressure, which is somewhat belowboiling to about boiling, to the brew basket. As the water passesthrough the coffee bed, coffee flavor solids are extracted from theground roast coffee, thereby producing brewed coffee. The brewed coffeeso made then passes through the coffee filter and then through theoutlet opening or openings in the brew basket, where it is collected ina suitable carafe normally positioned below the outlet opening oropenings.

Automatic drip coffee makers come in many different sizes. Mostautomatic drip coffee makers for consumer use are designed to produce4-12 standard servings of brewed coffee per brewing cycle. A firstvariation of automatic drip coffee makers have an option for brewing oneto three standard servings. A second variation of automatic drip coffeemakers, typically known as “4 cup” brewers, are designed to brew up tofour standard servings. A few are even capable of brewing a single cup,although these are typically high pressure brewers and not “drip”brewers. Automatic drip coffee makers for commercial or industrial useare typically designed for producing 10 to 30 standard servings ofbrewed coffee per brewing cycle. The inventive ground roast coffeetablets can be used with all such automatic drip coffee makers,regardless of the configuration of their brew baskets. Thus, the minimumnumber of servings for which a coffee brewer is designed can vary frommachine to machine and may be one serving, four servings, ten servings,or some other number of servings.

While the inventive coffee tablets of the present application mayadvantageously be used with many different types of coffee makers,including many different types of automatic drip coffee makers, thespecific brew performance characteristics (e.g., yield, % brew solids,total brew solids, absorbance, etc.) described herein correspond tobrewing the inventive coffee tablets in a 4-12 cup automatic drip coffeemaker (“ADC”) having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5 g/sec to3.1 g/sec, for example, a water delivery rate of about 2.7 to 2.8 g/sec.Two such ADC's are the Mr. Coffee® Model DR13 coffee maker and the Mr.Coffee® Accel (Model PRX 23) coffee maker, both of which have a waterdelivery rate of approximately 2.75 g/sec. As expected, ADC's havingsubstantially higher water delivery rates may produce lower totalextraction (and corresponding lower brew solids concentrations, yields,and absorbances), as the faster flowing water has less time to absorbthe coffee solids. However, relative to the brew performance of thecorresponding roasted and ground coffee under the same brewingconditions, the relative brew solids indices, yield ratios, orabsorbance ratios of coffee brewed using an ADC with a higher waterdelivery rate (for example, the Bunn® Pour-Omatic GR, having a waterdelivery rate of approximately 10 to 11 g/sec) may be comparable tothose described herein for ADC's having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5 g/sec to 3.1 g/sec.

Ingredients

The coffee tablets of this invention can be made from virtually any typeof ground roast coffee.

Ground roast coffee is made from coffee beans, which are the seeds of“cherries” that grow on coffee trees in a narrow subtropical regionaround the world. There are many coffee varieties, however, it isgenerally recognized that there are two primary commercial coffeespecies: Coffea arabica (herein “Arabica(s)”) and Coffea canephora var.robusta (herein “Robusta(s)”). Coffees from the species arabica may bedescribed as “Brazils,” which come from Brazil, or “Other Milds” whichare grown in other premium coffee producing countries. Premium Arabicacountries are generally recognized as including Colombia, Guatemala,Sumatra, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Mexico, United States (Hawaii), ElSalvador, Peru, Kenya, Ethiopia and Jamaica. Coffees from the speciescanephora var. robusta are typically used as a low cost extender or as asource of additional caffeine for Arabica coffees. These Robusta coffeesare typically grown in the lower regions of West and Central Africa,India, South East Asia, Indonesia, and Brazil. See, US 2008/0118604, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Virtually any of the above varieties and types of coffees can be used tomake the inventive coffee tablets. One ground roast coffee without anybinder or liquid flavor carrier acting as a binder resulted in tabletswith very poor hardness and friability. This coffee had a coffee bulkdensity of about 0.353 g/cm³, a moisture content of about 2.2%, and arelatively high percentage of “fines.” While not intending to be boundby any particular theory, it is believed that the combination of lowmoisture, high density, and a high fines percentage combined to causethese relatively poor results. Mixtures of different coffee varietiesand types can also be used.

When removed from the coffee cherry, coffee beans normally have adistinctly green color and a high moisture content. Therefore, they arenormally dried prior to export, typically to a moisture content of about12%. Historically, solar drying was the method of choice, althoughmachine drying is now normally used due to the reliability andefficiency of the machine dryers available for this purpose. See, Sivetzet al., Coffee Technology, “Drying Green Coffee Beans”, pp. 112-169(1979). Sivetz also highlights the irreversible damage over-drying canhave on coffee quality.

After drying to a moisture content of about 12%, the coffee beans aretypically exported to consuming nations where they are processed intoconventional ground roast coffee by roasting followed by grinding. Anyof the variety of roasting techniques known to the art can be used toroast the green coffee in the process of this invention. In the normaloperation of preparing conventional roast and ground coffee, coffeebeans may be roasted in a hot gas medium at temperature ranges of about176.8-371.1° C. (350-700° F.), or about 176.8-260° C. (350-500° F.), orabout 204.4-232.2° C. (400-450° F.), or about 260-287.8° C. (500-550°F.), or about 315.6-348.9° C. (600-660° F.), with the time of roastingbeing dependent on the flavor characteristics desired in the coffeebeverage when brewed. Where coffee beans are roasted in a batch process,the batch roasting time at the hereinbefore given temperatures isgenerally from about 2 minutes to about 20 minutes, and may, forexample, be about 10-20 minutes or about 12-18 minutes, or may be about2-10 minutes, or about 2-6 minutes, or about 2-4 minutes, or about 2-3minutes. Where coffee beans are roasted in a continuous process, theresidence time of the coffee beans in the roaster is typically fromabout 30 seconds to about 9 minutes, and may, for example, be about 30seconds to 6 about minutes, or about 30 seconds to about 4 minutes, orabout 1-3 minutes. The roasting procedure can involve static bedroasting as well as fluidized bed roasting. A preferred type of roastingwould be using fast roasters. While any method of heat transfer can beused in this regard, convective heat transfer, especially forcedconvection, is normally used for convenience. The convective media canbe an inert gas or, more typically, air. Typically, the beans arecharged to a bubbling bed or fluidized bed roaster where they contact ahot air stream at inlet air temperature of from about 350° to about1200° F. (about 177° C. to about 649° C.) preferably from about 400° F.to about 800° F. (about 204° C. to about 427° C.), at roast times formabout 10 seconds to not longer than about 5.5 minutes, preferably fromabout 10 to about 47 seconds.

As well known to coffee professionals, it is conventional to refer tothe degree or extent to which coffee beans are roasted in terms of theirHunter color level. The Hunter Color “L” scale system is generally usedto define the color of the coffee beans and the degree to which theyhave been roasted. Hunter Color “L” scale values are units of lightreflectance measurement, and the higher the value is, the lighter thecolor is since a lighter colored material reflects more light. Thus, inmeasuring degrees of roast, the lower the “L” scale value the greaterthe degree of roast, since the greater the degree of roast, the darkeris the color of the roasted bean. This roast color is usually measuredon the roasted, quenched and cooled coffee beans prior to subsequentprocessing (e.g., grinding and/or flaking) into a brewed coffee product.However, color may be measured on finished product, in which case thecolor will be designated as such. See, pages 985-95 of R. S. Hunter,“Photoelectric Color Difference Meter,” J. of the Optical Soc. of Amer.,Volume 48 (1958).

The ground roast coffee used to make the inventive coffee tablets can bemade from coffee beans roasted to any desired roast color from about 10L (very dark) to about 25 L (very light). In some embodiments, it iscontemplated that the coffee beans will be fast roasted to an averagecolor of from about 13 to about 19 Hunter L units, preferably from about14 to about 18 Hunter L units, and even about 15 to about 17 Hunter Lunits.

Once the coffee beans are roasted, they are ground to a desired averageparticle size. Average particles sizes on the order of as low as 250 μm(microns) and as high as 3 mm, as measured by Laser Diffraction on aSympatec Rodos Helos laser particle size analyzer, are conventional.Average particle sizes on the order of 400 μm to 1,000 μm, 500 μm to 800μm, and even 650 μm to 750 μm, 800 μm to 950 and 850 μm to 900 μm aremore interesting. The coffee beans may be ground to other averageparticle sizes, including for example, average particle sizes of about400 μm to 1.5 mm, or about 300 μm to about 1,000 or even about 1-2 mm.It is also recognized that larger coffee particles may be broken downduring tablet compaction, resulting in smaller average particle sizeswithin the compacted coffee tablet.

The ground roast coffee tablets of this invention can be made fromground roast coffees ground to any of these particle sizes. Coffeeflakes can also be used. Of course, there can be a size distributionaround these mean particle sizes, so that the grind can be furthercharacterized by breadth of distribution. One convenient measure isQ250, the percent of particles less than 250 microns, which representsthe amount of finer particles (or “fines”) that are included in thedistribution and that help make up the mean size.

As appreciated by skilled coffee professionals, different ground coffeesexhibit different bulk densities depending on the type of coffee used,the method by which the coffee is roasted, the color of the roastedcoffee, the particle size to which the coffee is ground, moisturecontent, and other factors. In accordance with this invention, theinventive coffee tablets can be made for ground roast coffee having anyconventional density. So, for example, the inventive coffee tablets canbe made from ground roast coffees having “regular” densities rangingbetween about 0.26 g/cc to 0.35 g/cc such as, for example, 0.263 g/cc,0.288 g/cc, 0.325 g/cc, and 0.35 g/cc, if desired.

Alternatively, the inventive coffee tablets can also be made for groundroast coffees having greater or lesser densities, if desired. Forexample, the inventive coffee tablets can be made from high densitycoffees having densities of >0.4 g/cc, e.g., densities of up to ˜0.6g/cc, although even higher densities are contemplated. Similarly, theinventive coffee tablets can be made from low density coffees havingdensities of <0.18 g/cc to 0.26 g/cc, e.g., densities of 0.18 g/cc to0.26 g/cc, 0.20 g/cc to 0.25 g/cc, or even 0.22 g/cc to 0.23 g/cc (suchas ˜0.19 g/cc, ˜0.20 g/cc, ˜0.21 g/cc, ˜0.22 g/cc, ˜0.23 g/cc, ˜0.24g/cc or even ˜0.25 g/cc). In this regard, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,757for a description of how to make low density coffees and U.S. Pat. No.5,227,188 for a description of how to make high density coffees. Theentire disclosures of both of these patents are incorporated herein byreference.

As appreciated by skilled coffee professionals, different ground coffeesalso exhibit different moisture contents depending on the type of coffeeused, the method by which the coffee is roasted, the color of theroasted coffee, the particle size to which the coffee is ground, andother factors. So, for example, the inventive coffee tablets can be madefrom ground roast coffees having moisture contents of ˜1 to ˜7 wt. %, ˜2to ˜7 wt. %, ˜2 to ˜6 wt. %, ˜3 to ˜6 wt. % and ˜4 to ˜5.5 wt. %. Someground roast coffees having a moisture content less than ˜2.5 wt. % maynot make tablets with acceptable friability without the use of a binderor liquid flavor carrier acting as a binder; thus, any of these rangesmight have a lower boundary of ˜2.5 wt. %.

Generally speaking, the inventive coffee tablets can also be made frommixtures of two or more of the coffees described above. So, for example,the inventive coffee tablets can be made from mixtures of ground roastcoffees having different densities, different Hunter L colors, differentparticle sizes, different moisture contents, and different combinationsthereof (i.e., one ground roast coffee could have a low density and ahigh moisture content while another ground roast coffee could have amedium density and a low moisture content). Thus, the inventive coffeetablets can be made from mixtures of regular and high density coffees,mixtures of regular and low density coffees, mixtures of high and lowdensity coffees, and mixtures of high, regular and low density coffees,if desired. In addition, the inventive coffee tablets can be made frommixtures ground roast coffees having high and low Hunter L colornumbers, large and small average particle sizes, etc.

In addition to the above ground roast coffees, additional ingredientscan be included in the ground roast coffee tablets of this invention.For example, decaffeinated varieties of the above coffees can be used inaddition to, or in place of, the ground roast coffees described above.Similarly, coffee substitutes such as ground chicory, roasted soybeans,and roasted grains such as corn, rye, wheat, barley, oats, rice, wheatgerm, spelt, buckwheat, and millet can be included in the inventiveground roast coffee tablets. (Instant coffee is not a “coffeesubstitute” in this context.) Coffee flavorings, as further discussedbelow, can be included. Also, various excipients such as binders anddisintegration aids can be included.

Examples of suitable solid particulate binders include starches, sugars,modified starches, maltrodextrins, polydextroses, carrageenans, gums,soluble fibers, celluloses, waxes, gelatin, sugars, including sucrose,glucose, dextrose, molasses and lactose, natural and synthetic gums,including acacia sodium alginate, extract of Irish moss, panwar gum,ghatti gum, mucilage of isapol husks, carboxymethylcellulose,methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, Veegum, larch arabogalactan,polyethyleneglycol, ethylcellulose, any salts of these compounds, andmixtures thereof can be included as binders. More interesting solidbinders are carboxymethylcellulose, ethyl cellulose, maltodextrin,gelatin, gum arabic, gum agar, modified corn starch, and mixturesthereof. See, for example, EP 813816 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,431, U.S.Pat. No. 6,277,428, EP 0229920 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,951,357.

Surprisingly, it has been found that some liquid flavor carriers act asa binder in coffee tablets. Suitable liquid flavor carriers includethose having viscosities of 15 to 65 cP (centipoise), 35 to 65 cP, 40 to60 cP, or even 45 to 56 cP and surface tensions of 30 to 50 dynes/cm, 35to 45 dynes/cm, or even 35 to 40 dynes/cm at 25 C. Propylene glycol is agood example of a liquid flavor carrier that acts as a binder in coffeetablets. Other examples include but are not limited to glycerin, otherpolyols, and polyethylene glycol (PEG).

Binders, if used, will normally be present in an amount of ≦˜10 wt. %,˜0.5 to ˜7 wt. %, ˜1 to ˜5 wt. %, or even ˜1.5 to 4 wt. %, or even ˜2 to˜4 wt. %, based on the weight of the entire composition. However,addition of one or more binders is not required, and indeed in manyembodiments the inventive coffee tablets are essentially free ofbinders.

Mixtures of all of the above ingredients, i.e., mixtures of differentground roast coffees, different ground roast decaffeinated coffees,different ground roast coffee substitutes, different flavorings and/ordifferent excipients, can also be used. If so, the amount of groundroast coffee (both regular and decaffeinated) included in the groundroast coffee solid used to make the inventive ground roast coffeetablets will normally be at least about 50 wt. %, more typically atleast about 75 wt. %, at least about 80 wt. %, at least about 85 wt. %,at least about 90 wt. %, at least about 91 wt. %, at least about 92.5wt. %, or even at least about 95 wt. %., based on the weight of thetablets ultimately produced. Moreover, although some or all of thisground roast coffee can be decaffeinated, it is also desirable at leastin some embodiments that essentially all of the ground roast coffee is“regular,” i.e., non-decaffeinated coffee. Embodiments in which at least5 wt. %, at least 10 wt. %, at least 25 wt. %, at least 50 wt. %, atleast 75 wt. %, or even at least 90 wt. % of the ground roast coffee inthe inventive tablets is decaffeinated are contemplated, as areembodiments in which essentially all of the ground roast coffee in thetablets is decaffeinated.

Tablet Size and Configuration

Although the inventive coffee tablets can be made in any size, they arenormally designed at least in some embodiments to produced a singlestandard serving of brewed coffee, or a whole multiple or major fractionof a single standard serving. For example, in some embodiments, theinventive coffee tablets may be designed to produce whole multiples of asingle standard serving, e.g., to produce two standard servings ofbrewed coffee or three standard servings. In other embodiments, theinventive coffee tablets may be made larger, to produce more than asingle serving of coffee, and may be designed with surface scoring toallow a user to preferentially break the tablets into smallerpre-designated portions (i.e. break the tablet in half or into fourths,etc.), and the individual portions could then be used to produceseparate coffee servings. In other embodiments, the inventive coffeetablets may be designed to produce a major fraction of a standard singleserving such as ½ of a standard serving, or ⅓ of standard serving, or ¼of standard serving. If so, the inventive coffee tablets will contain acorrespondingly greater or lesser amount of ground roast coffee. Thisdoes not necessarily mean that using one single coffee tablet designedto produce a single standard serving in a standard automatic drip coffeemaker will necessarily always result in one single serving of acceptablebrewed coffee. Many standard automatic drip coffee makers are configuredto make, at minimum, more than one serving of coffee at a time, e.g.,four (4) servings of coffee at a minimum, and the inventive coffeetablets are not necessarily able to overcome that limitation of suchcoffee brewers. For such tablets designed to produce a single standardserving of coffee, one would expect, for example, four of such tabletsto produce four servings of acceptable brewed coffee, five of suchtablets to produce five servings of acceptable brewed coffee, seven ofsuch tablets to produce seven servings of acceptable brewed coffee, etc.For an automatic drip coffee maker designed to brew one serving ofcoffee at a time, one may be expected to use one tablet per serving. Ofcourse, the consumer may add or reduce these numbers to control strengthof the brewed coffee to match their particular taste preference (e.g.,any one or more or fewer tablets than this one-tablet-per-serving ratio,such as five tablets to make four servings, six tablets to make fourservings, three tablets to make four servings, etc.).

As indicated above, different ground coffees exhibit different densitiesdepending on the type of coffee used, the method by which the coffee isroasted, the color of the roasted coffee, the particle size to which thecoffee is ground, moisture content, and other factors.

A typical ground roast coffee having a density of 0.33 g/cc and astandard moisture content of about 1-7% requires approximately 3 gramsto produce a standard serving of brewed coffee, both regular andespresso strength, at least in the United States. Thus, the inventiveground roast coffee tablets, when designed to produce one standardserving of brewed coffee per tablet, will normally contain about 3±1grams of ground roast coffee, based on a density of 0.33 g/cc and astandard moisture content of about 1-7%, more typically about 3±0.5grams of ground roast coffee. Exemplary inventive coffee tablets mayhave a mass of less than about 4 grams, less than about 3.5 grams, lessthan about 3.3 grams, less than about 2.7 grams, about 2.6 to 2.8 grams,or even a mass of about 1.9 grams to about 2.7 grams. Ground roastcoffees of greater or less densities, e.g., 0.288 g/cc, (and greater orlesser moisture contents, as further discussed below) requirecorrespondingly less or greater amounts of coffee to produce a standardserving of brewed coffee.

When a ground roast coffee having a density of 0.33 g/cc and a standardmoisture content of about 1-7% is used for producing a single standardserving of coffee, approximately 3 grams of this coffee will berequired, as indicated above. This volume of ground roast coffee willproduce a generally cylindrical tablet measuring approximately 25 mm indiameter and 6-7 mm in thickness when compacted in a typical compactionprocess carried out in accordance with this invention, as furtherdescribed below. When coffees of different densities and/or moisturecontents are used, correspondingly different tablet volumes will beachieved. Similarly, inventive tablets made with different dose sizes,e.g., a tablet made to produce ⅓ of a standard serving of brewed coffeeper tablet, will also have correspondingly different sizes. Differenttablet configurations are also possible. For example, oval, heart,“pillow” and other shapes are anticipated. Further, at least one side ofa generally cylindrical tablet may be concave. Additionally oralternatively, the outer surface of a tablet may have ridges, bumps,surface scoring, or embossments.

Packaging and Use

The inventive ground roast coffee tablets are intended to be provided tothe customer, both consumers and commercial/industrial users, insuitable packages. Many types of packages and packaging material can beused for this purpose including bags made from plastic, paper, foil,cellophane or other suitable material; boxes made from cardboard, rigidplastic, foamed plastic, etc.; bottles, sleeves, etc. Combinations ofthese packages can also be used.

If desired, the inventive ground roast coffee tablets can be packaged inspecific numbers for making predetermined amounts of coffee. Forexample, tablets designed to produce a single serving of coffee pertablet can be packaged in groups of four to facilitate making four cupsof coffee in a single brew cycle. Alternatively, groups of two or moretablets can be packaged together to facilitate making a single servingof coffee in a single brew cycle. For example, three tablets designed toproduce ⅓ serving of coffee per tablet can be packaged in groups ofthree to facilitate making a single serving of coffee in a single brewcycle. The tablet packages can be designed to be resealable for theconvenience of the customer. In such a configuration, as the tablets areperiodically used by the consumer, the unused tablets that remain couldbe resealed in the package to retain product freshness.

A particular advantage of this invention is that, because the inventivecoffee tablets contain a predetermined amount and type of ground roastcoffee (and other optional ingredients), adjusting dosages to achievethe precise flavor desired is made much easier. For example, a consumerdesiring to make a stronger brewed coffee than normal can use fiveinventive coffee tablets (of a single serving size) rather than four forbrewing four servings of brewed coffee. As another advantage, inventivecoffee tablets differing in one or more properties may be combined inthe same brew to produce a preferred brew in which the one or moreproperties resulting from the combination of differing coffee tabletsprovide a desired flavor, strength, caffeine content, or other suchcharacteristic in the preferred brew. For example, a brewed coffee witha desired reduced caffeine content may be prepared by combining at leastone or a portion of one regular caffeinated coffee tablet with at leastone or a portion of one decaffeinated coffee tablet in an ADC coffeemaker. As another example, a brewed coffee with a desired “darkness” ofroast flavor may be prepared by combining at least one or a portion ofone dark roasted coffee tablet with at least one or a portion of oneregular coffee tablet in an ADC coffee maker. In still another example,a brewed coffee with a combination of special flavorings may be preparedby combining at least one or a portion of one coffee tablet having afirst flavoring (for example, chocolate) with at least one or a portionof one coffee tablet having a second flavoring (for example, hazelnut)in an ADC coffee maker. In still other embodiments, multiple propertiesmay be varied or adjusted by using coffee tablets differing in two ormore properties. As one specific example, a consumer desiring to make abrewed coffee having a reduced caffeine content and a “hint” of Frenchvanilla flavor can use three inventive coffee tablets made from regularground roast coffee, two tablets made from decaffeinated coffee, and onetablet of French vanilla flavored coffee. Further, some coffee tabletsmay be provided with two or more varied properties, such as, forexample, dark roasted decaffeinated coffee tablets, medium roasteddecaffeinated coffee tablets, and dark roasted regular coffee tablets.An exemplary consumer selected blend could then include three darkroasted coffee tablets with five medium roast decaffeinated coffeetablets and four cinnamon-flavored coffee tablets.

In view of the above advantages, methods of brewing coffee arecontemplated comprising (a) placing at least one or a portion of one ofa first type of coffee tablet and at least one or a portion of one of asecond type of coffee tablet into an ADC coffee maker and (b) actuatinga brew cycle of the ADC coffee maker to brew coffee with the coffeetablets or coffee tablet portions. Variables that may be adjusted byselecting one or more tablets of different types of ground roast coffeeinclude, for example, amount or type of flavorant, caffeine content,levels of acidity, darkness of roast, species of coffee (e.g., Arabica,robusta), and alternative coffee bean treatment (e.g., low moisturedrying prior to roasting). A wide variety of types of coffee tablets maybe provided together in a pre-packaged kit, or in a consumer selectedarray, to facilitate preparation of a preferred brew specific to anindividual consumer's preferences. As such, an exemplary kit may includea plurality of tablets, with at least two of the tablets having adifferent predetermined property, such as, for example, amount or typeof flavorant, caffeine content, level of acidity, darkness of roast,species of coffee, or type, of coffee bean treatment. Such a kit may beprovided with instructions for combining the two or more types of coffeetablets to prepare a desired brewed coffee. These instructions mayinclude one or more “recipes” for preparing one or more specialpredetermined blends of coffee.

A further advantage of the inventive coffee tablets is that they aresmaller in size than conventional ground roast coffee on a comparablebasis, i.e., based on the same amount of coffee provided. This allowsthe inventive coffee tablets to be marketed, transported and sold insmaller packages, which in turn is beneficial for the environment.Tablets with a volume less than 3.2 cm³, less than 2.9 cm³, and lessthan 2.3 cm³ are of particular interest.

In use, the appropriate number of tablets will be removed from theirpackage(s), manually placed in the brew basket of an automatic dripcoffee maker, and then brewed into brewed coffee in the normal way.

Tablet Manufacture

In accordance with this invention, the inventive ground roast coffeetablets are made in such a way that they disintegrate essentiallyimmediately (or at least very rapidly) when contacted with hot brewingwater at the beginning of the brewing cycle, as indicated above. Inaddition, they are also made to resist significant degradation from themanual handling they receive during manufacture and use. In particular,the inventive coffee tablets are made to have sufficient hardness andfriability before brewing to withstand all aspects of manufacture,handling, packaging, transport and use without breakage to anysignificant degree.

This is accomplished in accordance with this invention by making theinventive ground roast coffee tablets by multi-step compaction, i.e., bycompressing ground roast coffee into shaped articles by a multi-stepcompaction process carried out in the same compaction die in which theground roast coffee is compressed at a first compaction pressure andthen subsequently further compressed at least one more time in the samecompaction die. Many of the tablets herein discussed were made inmulti-step compaction process carried out in the same compaction die inwhich the ground roast coffee is pre-compressed at a relatively lowercompaction pressure and then subsequently further compressed at arelatively higher pressure in a main or primary compaction step. Inaccordance with this invention, it has been found that this approachallows stronger tablets to be produced than would otherwise by the caseif an otherwise identical tablet having an otherwise identical densitywere made by a single-step compaction process. That is to say, coffeetablets made by the inventive multi-step compaction process are stronger(as measured by hardness, friability or both, as further discussedbelow) than otherwise identical tablets having the same density but madeby a conventional single-step compaction process. In the alternative,tablets can be made using a multi-step compaction process carried out inthe same compaction die in which the ground roast coffee is compressedat a relatively higher compaction pressure initially and thensubsequently further compressed at a relatively lower pressure in aseparate compaction step. This second approach may be problematic forsome machines, because they use a measured highest compaction force orpressure to control how much material is deposited into the die (with ahigher than desired force indicating that too much material has beendeposited) and controlling based on a higher pre-compression may be lessaccurate than controlling based on a higher main compression. Althoughmany of the examples herein are carried out with a relatively lowercompaction pressure initially and then subsequently further compressedat a relatively higher pressure in a separate compaction step, and muchof the teachings herein are in this context, it is to be understood thatmany of the advantages taught herein can be obtained using three or moretotal compactions in the same die and/or a relatively higher compactionpressure at other than the final compression step, and the virtually anyof the methods herein can be thought of as being capable of beingcarried out using three or more total compactions in the same die and/ora relatively higher compaction pressure at other than the finalcompression step (e.g., first or second or third non-final compression).

Although the inventive multi-step compaction process will normally becarried out with two compaction steps, one, two, three or moreadditional, intermediate compaction steps can also be used, usually atcompaction pressures between the compaction pressures encountered in thepre-compression and main compression steps. However, greater or lessercompaction pressures can also be used in the intermediate compactionsteps, if desired.

Compressive or compaction forces on the order of ˜25 to ˜80 kN(kiloNewtons), ˜35 to ˜65 kN, or even ˜40 to ˜50 kN have been foundsuitable for the main compression step (based on tablets havingdiameters of ˜24 mm to ˜25 mm). Thus, these main compressive forces willnormally be >˜25 kN, >˜35 kN, >˜40 kN, and, in addition, generally <˜80kN, <˜55 kN, or even <˜50 kN. Expressed as applied pressure duringcompaction (assuming a 24.5 mm tablet diameter), the correspondingcompressions would be >˜53.0 MPa (or N/mm²), >˜74.2 MPa, >˜84.8 MPa,and, in addition, generally <˜169.6 MPa, <˜116.7 MPa, or even <˜106.1MPa. Greater or lesser compressive forces can be used depending on thetype, particle size and other properties of the ground roast coffeebeing processed, the desired density, strength and hardness of thecoffee tablet being produced, and certain production variables asfurther discussed below, and can easily be determined by routineexperimentation based on the teachings herein.

A number of processes are known for forming tablets and other shapedarticles from granular materials by compression. Most such processesrequire (1) filling a die, typically closed off at the bottom by abottom tool, with the material to be tabletted (2) compressing thefilled material between upper and lower tools, and (3) ejecting thetablet so formed from the die.

Presses may be single station or multiple station. In this context, a“station” refers to a single die and its associated top and bottomtools. In a single station press, a single stationary die is used, andall functions (e.g., filling, compression and ejection) occur in thesame location. In a multiple station press such as a rotary tabletpress, multiple sets of dies and their associated top and bottom toolsare moved from location to location where the separate functions offilling, pre-compression, main compression and ejection occur.

For example, a typical rotary table press has a turret containing a dietable formed from multiple die stations. The turret containing the dietable rotates through the press so that each die is serially brought tothe different filling, pressing and ejection locations in the press.Dies are filled at the filling location, the material to be tablettedcompacted in the pre-compression and main compression locations, and thetablet formed thereby ejected from the die at the ejection location.Actuation of the top and/or bottom tools for compressing the material tobe compacted in the pre-compression and main compression locations canbe done in a variety of different ways, including using cams, ramps,compression rollers or combinations thereof, all of which are designedto force the bottom and top tools associated with each die together. Thesize of the compression rollers or other tool compressing mechanisms maylimit the proximity of the pre-compression and main compressionlocations, which may, for example, be separated by approximately ¼ ofthe die circle circumference. While the coffee material may be undercompression during this delay period, in one embodiment, the die toolsmay be held in proximity to the compression positions without exertingadditional compaction forces, for example, by holding the tools usingtracks, ramps, or other mechanisms provided with the rotary tabletpress. This delay between pre-compression and main compression steps mayhave a duration of approximately 80-900 milliseconds, or 150-400milliseconds, or 200-290 milliseconds, under normal rotary tablet pressoperating speeds (e.g., 15-60 rpm), or about 15-23 times either of thepre-compression and/or the main compression dwell times. Therefore,while each of the pre-compression and main compression steps may be verybrief (for example, pre-compression and main compression dwell timesranging from 7-45 milliseconds), the total time from the start of thepre-compression step to the completion of the main compression step maybe 8-15 times the total time under compression at the pre-compressionand main compression rollers. This total compression time may be, forexample, approximately 0.1 to 1 second, approximately 0.18 to 0.5seconds, or 0.22 to 0.36 seconds. As such, even minor adjustments to thedwell times of the pre-compression and main compression steps may resultin significant changes to the tablet production rates, as adjustments tothe rotary press operating speed are generally proportional to thesedwell time adjustments.

In a typical rotary press, each die is subjected to one set ofcompressions, for production of one table, per die, in a single, 360°revolution of the turret. In other rotary presses, additional filling,compression and ejection locations may be provided for production of twoor more tablets, per die, in a single 360° revolution of the turret.While pre-compression locations have been included in typical rotarytablet presses, the amount of pre-compression forces applied duringprior art tabletting has generally been minimal, the purpose of whichbeing to force or squeeze pockets of air out of the powder to betabletted, to prevent voids or fractures in the resulting tablet.

Generally speaking, longer compression dwell times require lesscompression force in the main or primary compression step. Someincreases in dwell time may be accomplished by increasing the size ofthe portions of the tools impacted by the compression rollers or othercompression mechanism, often referred to as the tool heads. However,more substantial increases in compression dwell time typically requireslower machine operating speeds, such that the top and bottom tools arealigned with the compression rollers (or other compression mechanism)for the desired dwell time period. As such, a substantially longer dwelltime for compaction of the tablet generally limits the tablet productionrate by requiring a substantially slower machine operating speed,thereby slowing down other steps of the tabletting process (e.g.,filling, pre-compression, or ejection of completed tablet).

As further indicated above, the compressive forces used for a particularapplication of this invention also depend on the desired properties ofthe inventive ground roast coffee tablets to be produced. In thisregard, it has been found that, within certain limits, greatercompressive forces lead to stronger tablets, and conversely, lesser orreduced compressive forces lead to weaker tablets. On the other hand,compressive forces which are too high can weaken the tablet. Indeed,reliance on increases in compressive forces alone, without regard todwell time, amount of pre-compression, or other such factors, may beinsufficient to produce tablets of desired strength, as shown, forexample, in the working examples (see, e.g., Example 14).

The strength/robustness of the ground roast coffee tablets of thisinvention can conveniently be measured in several ways, two examples ofwhich include measuring a tablet's hardness and friability. Hardnessmeasures the force required to break the tablet in an axial direction.Tablet hardness can be determined by a diametral compression test inwhich the tablet is placed between two anvils and a pressure is appliedto the anvils until the tablet breaks. The crushing strength that justcauses the tablet to break is taken as the hardness of the tablet, whichis sometimes referred to as the “tablet crushing strength.” The hardnessof an article can be determined using any number of devices andtechniques known to skilled coffee professionals, including, forexample, the Stokes (Monsanto) tester, the Strong-Cobb tester, thePfizer tester, the Erweka tester, the Heberlein (or Schleuniger) tester,the Key tester, the Varian VK200 Tablet Hardness tester, and the Van derKamp tester, and the techniques associated with each of these devices.In accordance with this invention, the inventive ground roast coffeetablets are normally made to have a hardness of ≧˜30 N (Newtons), whenmeasured using a Varian VK200 Tablet Hardness tester set in the N(Newton) mode. Hardnesses on the order of ≧˜40 N, or ≧˜50 N, are evenmore interesting, while hardnesses of ≧˜60 N, ≧˜70 N, ≧˜80 N, ≧˜90 N,≧˜100 N, and even ≧˜110 N and more are possible.

Friability measures the amount of material that flakes, falls, or chipsoff the tablets after being tumbled under a predetermined set ofconditions. For convenience, the friability of the inventive coffeetablets can be measured using a commercially-available VarianFriabilator having a dual chamber friability drum by rotating 25 gramsof the tablets in the drum of the machine for 100 revolutions at a rateof 25 rpm and then determining the amount of these tablets that passesthrough a #4 American Standard Wire Mesh screen. The tablets should notbe broken to obtain 25 grams, but adjust the number of whole tablets tocome as close as possible to 25 grams. The weight of material passingthrough this screen in proportion to the total weight of the originalcharge of tablets represents the friability of these tablets. Inaccordance with this invention, it has been found that the inventivecoffee tablets, when made in the manner indicated above, may have afriability of <˜10%, <˜8%, <˜6%, <˜3.5%, <˜3%, or even <˜1%.

Generally speaking, coffee tablets having the above combination ofproperties, i.e., a hardness of at least about 30 N (Newtons) and afriability of less than about 10%, will have a density on the order of≧0.85 g/cm³, ≧0.87 g/cm³, ≧0.90 g/cm³, ≧0.92 g/cm³, ≧0.95 g/cm³, ≧0.97g/cm³, and even ≧0.99 g/cm³. Coffee tablets having densities of ≧0.90g/cm³, ≧0.92 g/cm³, ≧0.95 g/cm³, ≧0.97 g/cm³, and even ≧0.99 g/cm³ areespecially interesting.

An external coating can enhance the tablet strength, allowing tablettingat a reduced compaction force. Any material described above as usefulfor making a binder to be included in the inventive coffee tablets canbe used for making such coatings.

In accordance with this invention, the inventive ground roast coffeetablets are made to have the above properties by using a multi-stepcompaction process comprising two or more compression steps, apre-compression step, a main or primary compression step, andoptionally, one or more intermediate compression steps, all of which arecarried out in the same die. In other words, once the ground roastcoffee is filled into a particular compaction die, it is subjected toall of the compactions steps need to produce a completed coffee tabletin that same die before being ejected therefrom. In general, thisapproach allows lower compression forces to be used in the maincompression step, which in turn places less stress on the press. Inaddition, this approach also allows for reduced compression dwell times,as compared to the extended dwell times generally associated with lowercompression forces, which enables faster press operation. Finally, asindicated above, this approach also allows stronger tablets to beproduced (for a given tablet density) than otherwise identical tabletsmade by a single-step compaction process.

When using this approach, the pre-compression force is desirably atleast about 5 kN (based on tablets having diameters of ˜24 mm to ˜25mm), or about a 10.6 MPa pre-compression pressure (for a 24.5 mmdiameter tablet). A pre-compression force this low may require the useof a binder or a liquid flavor carrier with binder properties to providetablets with acceptable friability and hardness at relatively highmanufacture rates per die (as suggested by the data below, use of somebinders or liquid flavor carriers with binder properties might alsopermit tablets made with a single compression to obtain acceptablefriability and hardness at relatively high manufacture rates per die).

Additionally, compressive forces on the order of ˜25 kN, ˜35 kN, ˜12 to˜40 kN, ˜18 to ˜35 kN, or even ˜25 to ˜35 kN have been found suitablefor this pre-compression step (based on tablets having diameters of ˜24mm to ˜25 mm). Thus, these pre-compressive forces will normally be ˜25kN, ˜30 kN, or >˜12 kN, >˜17 kN, >˜18 kN, >˜20 kN, >˜25 kN, >˜35 kN and,in addition, generally <˜40 kN, <˜35 kN, or even <˜30 kN. Expressed asapplied pressure during compaction (assuming a 24.5 mm tablet diameter),the corresponding pre-compressions would be ˜53.0 MPa (or N/mm²), ˜63.6MPa, or >˜25.5 MPa, >˜36.1 MPa, >˜38.2 MPa, >˜42.4 MPa, >˜53.0MPa, >˜74.2 MPa and, in addition, generally <˜84.8 MPa, <˜74.2 MPa, oreven <˜63.6 MPa. Expressed as a percentage of main compression force,pre-compressive forces of about 20-100%, 30-90%, 40-80%, or even 50-75%of main compression force have been found suitable for thepre-compression step (based on tablets having diameters of ˜24 mm to ˜25mm). Thus, these pre-compressive forces will normally be >˜20%, >˜30%,or >˜40% and, in addition, generally <˜100%, <˜90%, or even <˜80% of themain compression force. Greater or lesser compressive forces can be useddepending on the type, particle size and other properties of the groundroast coffee being processed, the desired density, strength and hardnessof the coffee tablet being produced, and certain production variables asfurther discussed below, and can easily be determined by routineexperimentation based on the teachings herein.

In this regard, FIG. 1 shows the effect of altering the pre-compressionforce on the hardness, friability and extraction efficiency of theinventive ground roast coffee tablets obtained. This figure wasdeveloped from experiments in which a group of coffee tablets wasproduced by a two-step compaction process in which the tablet was firstsubjected to a pre-compression force ranging from ˜0.3 kN to ˜50 kN andthereafter subjected to a main compression force in the same compressiondie ranging from ˜10 to ˜70 kN. The data in FIG. 1 has been normalizedto values observed with very low/no initial compression being taken asequal to 1. As shown in FIG. 1, when the pre-compression force used tomake the inventive coffee tablets is varied between ˜20% to ˜100% of themain compression force, the hardness of the tablets produced increasesby as much as 40% (at a pre-compression/main compression ratio of about0.70), while the friability of the tablets produced is reduced by asmuch as 80% (at a pre-compression/main compression ratio of about 0.55).This makes it possible in accordance with this aspect of the inventionto design the inventive coffee tablets having a predeterminedcombination of hardness and friability, as desired.

As indicated above, one advantage of using the inventive multi-stepcompaction process for manufacturing the inventive coffee tablets, atleast when this is done using a multiple station press, is that pressoperation is faster than would otherwise be the case if a single stepcompaction process were used. This is made possible because lesscompaction force can be used in the main or primary compaction step thanwould be required if compaction occurred in a single compaction step. Inaddition, using a multiple compaction steps allows the dwell time neededin the primary or main compactions step, i.e., the amount of time theground roast coffee remains under compaction, to be less than thatrequired if only a single compaction step were used.

In this regard, see WO 2008/107342, which makes clear that in order tomake a ground roast coffee tablet of sufficient strength using singlestep compaction (in which pre-compression is minimal or non-existent),the ground roast coffee must be compressed at a fairly slow rate (i.e.,over the course of 0.1 to 2 seconds, preferably 0.2 to 0.8 seconds) andthen held at its final volume for an additional significant period oftime (i.e., for 0.2 to 5 second, preferably 0.3 to 2 seconds, and evenmore preferably 0.5 to 1.5 seconds). In contrast, the inventive processdescribed herein uses a multi-step compaction approach that does notemploy slow compression and an extended dwell time at final volume. Inaccordance with this invention, it has been found that pre-compression“prepares” the ground coffee for final compaction in such a way thatless compaction pressure for a shorter period of time is necessary toproduce a fully compacted tablet. This pre-compression preparation ofthe ground coffee, combined with a desired main compaction of the coffeetablet, as provided for in the production of the inventive coffeetablets, is believed to strike a balance between a number of factorsbelieved to have an impact on the physical properties and the brewperformance of the tablets, including, for example, tabletstrength/robustness, tablet density, table porosity (including thedegree of hydrophobicity, the diameter, the length, and/or theorientation of channels and passages on the surface of and within thebody of tablet), particle sizes of the coffee from which the tablets arecomposed, water permeability, and water vapor permeability. When brewedin certain coffee makers where the tablets are exposed to steam duringthe brewing process (e.g.: automatic drip coffee makers), the watervapor permeability is believed to play a significant role in brewperformance.

Thus, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the inventivemulti-step compaction process is carried out in such a way that thedwell time of the ground roasted coffee in the main compaction step,i.e., the period of time in which the coffee is under active compressionin the main compaction step, is ≦˜0.3 second, ≦˜0.25 second, ≦˜0.2second, ≦˜0.15 second, or even ≦˜0.1 second. Indeed, dwell times on theorder of ≦75 milliseconds, ≦50 milliseconds, ≦25 milliseconds, ≦20milliseconds, and even ≦15 milliseconds are contemplated and shown inthe following working examples.

For an exemplary rotary tablet press, the pre-compression and maincompression dwell times may be determined from a known rotational speedof the rotary press and the fraction of the die revolution for which thehead flat (i.e. the portion of the tool that contacts the compressionroller, ramp, or cam) is held for pre-compression or compression by thecompression roller, ramp, or cam. Where the compression location on therotary press is limited to a discrete, instantaneous location (as is thecase with tools impacted by compression rollers), this fraction of thedie revolution is approximately equal to the tool head diameter dividedby the die circle circumference. Thus, dwell time (in milliseconds) insuch applications may be calculated as: [(Head FlatDiameter)/(2π×(Radius of rotary press die circle))]×[(60,000ms/min)/(RPM)]. As one example, a 29-station rotary press with a diecircle diameter of 410 mm and a head flat diameter of 15.52 mm canproduce 90,000 tablets per hour using an operating speed ofapproximately 51.7 rpm, resulting in pre-compression and maincompression dwell times of approximately 14 ms each.

Because this dwell time is the rate limiting step in the operation ofmulti-station presses, press operation can be much faster when theinventive multi-step compaction process is used. Thus,commercially-available multi-stage tabletting presses can be operated atmachine speeds capable of producing ≧50,000, ≧75,000, ≧100,000, and even≧125,000, inventive coffee tablets per hour using the inventiveprocesses. Because different machines may have two or more distinctproduction lines (two or more main compression steps), which may differfrom machine to machine, it may be helpful to set forth production ratesin terms of a number of tablets per set of compressions per die per hour(e.g., for the pre-compression/main compression examples, the set ofcompressions would include both compressions). Using the inventiveprocesses to manufacture the inventive tablets herein, production ratesof >1000 tablets per set of compressions per die per hour; >1500 tabletsper set of compressions per die per hour; >2000 tablets per set ofcompressions per die per hour; >2400 tablets per set of compressions perdie per hour; >2500 tablets per set of compressions per die perhour; >2750 tablets per set of compressions per die per hour; and >3000tablets per set of compressions per die per hour are possible, and evenproduction rates of >3100 tablets per set of compressions per die perhour; >3450 tablets per set of compressions per die per hour; and >3500tablets per set of compressions per die per hour are possible.

Tabletting presses capable of carrying out multi-stage compaction atthese compaction pressures, dwell times, and production rates areavailable from a number of different commercial sources includingFette®, Korsch®, and possibly Courtoy® and Manesty®.

In accordance with still another feature of this invention, it has beenfurther found that the inventive coffee tablets, because of the way theyare made, achieve a greater total extraction of coffee solids duringbrewing as compared to an otherwise identical conventional ground roastcoffee composition (i.e., the same untabletted ground roast coffee).That is to say, the total amount of coffee solids extracted andrecovered in the brewed coffee product obtained is greater when theinventive coffee tablets are used in a typical ADC coffee maker thanwhen the same amount of conventional (untabletted) ground roast coffeeis used in the same coffee maker.

This feature is illustrated in the following working examples which showthat the yield ratios provided by the inventive coffee tablets, i.e.,the ratio of the coffee solids recovered from brewing the inventivecoffee tablets relative to the coffee solids recovered from brewing asubstantially equal amount of untabletted (but otherwise identical)ground roast coffee, are normally >1 and in many instances >1.1, >1.15,and even >1.2 on a weight basis. Moreover, this is so even when theyield of coffee solids, i.e., the ratio of the coffee solids recoveredfrom brewing the inventive coffee tablets relative to the amount ofcoffee present in the coffee tablets before brewing (i.e., [grams ofcoffee solids extracted from the brewed coffee]/[grams of coffee placedin the brew basket to brew the coffee]×[100]), is >26%, >28.5%, or even>30%.

Still another feature of this invention is that an enhanced extractionefficiency (as evidenced, for example, by increased absorbance,absorbance per gram, yield, and percent brew solids) exhibited by theinventive coffee tablets, as described herein, is essentiallyindependent of the magnitude of the pre-compression force used in thepre-compression step of the inventive manufacturing process. This isillustrated in FIG. 1, which further shows that the brew solids (i.e.,amount of coffee solids recovered in the brewed coffee product) remainsessentially unaffected as the magnitude of the pre-compression force isvaried. (When using an automatic drip coffee maker having a waterdelivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, brew solids of 0.36-1.3%or 0.5-1% or 0.42-1.5% or 0.5-0.9% or 0.50-0.75% are of interest.)Because of this feature, the hardness and friability of the inventivecoffee tablets can be suitably selected, as discussed above, withoutcompromising this enhanced brewing efficiency.

Another way to determine the amount of coffee solids that are extractedduring brewing is to measure the coffee brew's absorbance. Theabsorbance is, in effect, a measure of the darkness of a coffee brew. Aspectrophotometer is used to measure the amount of light absorbance bythe liquid brewed coffee at a wavelength of 480 nanometers (nm). Awavelength of 480 nm has been chosen because it corresponds with anabsorption feature in the visible spectrum that is associated with thebrown color of coffee brews (i.e., the Brown Color absorbance). Strongercoffee brews typically exhibit a bore prominent Brown Color absorbance.Thus, the absorbance value taken at 480 nm correlates with the visuallyperceived darkness of a cup of coffee. In practice, for example, asample of brewed coffee is placed in an 8 ml sealed vial and cooled for15 minutes at room temperature; the sample is then transferred to acuvette and the absorbance is measured in a Genesys 10 Spectrophotometerat 480 nm wavelength. Absorbance values>1.1, >1.25, and >1.7 and <3.5,<2.5, and <1.75 are of interest. From this base measure of the brewedcoffee absorbance, several other values are of interest, including:absorbance ratio (absorbance of brew from tablets/absorbance of brew ofthe same untabletted ground roast coffee); absorbance per gram(absorbance/grams of coffee put in brew basket) (e.g., at a 10 tabletbasis); and absorbance/gram ratio: (Absorbance/gramtablets)/(Absorbance/gram of the same untabletted ground roast coffee).Absorbance ratios>1, >1.06, and >1.12 are of interest. Absorbance pergram values>0.06, >0.07, and >0.09 are of interest. Absorbance per gramratios>1.05, >1.15, and >1.2 are of interest.

Brew Dynamics

In accordance with still another aspect of this invention, it hasfurther been found that the inventive coffee tablets, which, because ofthe way they are made, may have a modified time dependency associatedwith their brew performance over the course of brewing cycle (alsoreferred to as “brew dynamics”). For example, over the duration of abrew cycle, the instantaneous concentration of coffee solids extracted(herein referred to as “instantaneous extracted coffee solidsconcentration”) for a particular chronological portion of the brew (forexample, one or more aliquots forming an initial, a middle, or an endportion of the brew) may be altered, as compared to the instantaneousextracted coffee solids concentration for the same portion formed fromone or more aliquots taken from a brew made using untabletted coffee inroasted and ground form. As described herein, an “instantaneous” measureof brew dynamics (e.g., instantaneous concentration, instantaneousabsorbance, or instantaneous brew delivery) describes thecharacteristics of one of a series of incremental or sequential samplesor aliquots taken contemporaneously with the brewing process, such as,for example, one of a series of 20 second timed aliquots of the brew.

Thus, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the instantaneousextracted coffee solids concentration associated with an initial portionof a brew produced using the inventive coffee tablets may be lower thanthe instantaneous extracted coffee solids concentration for an initialportion of a brew produced using the corresponding untabletted coffee.The extent to which the concentration of solids will be lower maydepend, for example, on the wettability of the compacted coffee tabletand the rate at which the coffee tablet is broken up during brewing.Expressed in terms of the mass of the total brew, in one example usingan automatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, the mass of the initial portion isapproximately 200-300 g taken from a total brew mass of 1330 g.Expressed in terms of the total brewing period, in one example using anautomatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, this initial portion is removed,approximately, during the initial 100-150 seconds of a 630 second totalbrew period (as timed from initial extraction).

Additionally or alternatively, in accordance with this aspect of theinvention, the instantaneous extracted coffee solids concentrationassociated with a middle portion (collected in one or more aliquots) ofa brew (e.g., during a period immediately following the periodassociated with the initial portion) produced using the inventive coffeetablets may be greater than the instantaneous extracted coffee solidsconcentration for a middle portion of a brew produced using thecorresponding untabletted coffee. The extent to which the concentrationof solids will be higher with the inventive coffee tablets may depend,for example, on an increased extractability be associated with orresulting from the disruption of cellular particles within the coffeetablets. Expressed in terms of the mass of the total brew, in oneexample using an automatic drip coffee maker having a water deliveryrate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, the mass of the middle portion isapproximately 200-300 g taken immediately following the initial 200-300g associated with the initial portion, from a total brew mass of 1330 g.Expressed in terms of the total brewing period, in one example using anautomatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, this middle portion is removed,approximately, during the 80-130 seconds, immediately following the100-150 seconds in which the initial portion is taken, of a 630 secondtotal brew period (as timed from initial extraction).

A reduced instantaneous extracted coffee solids concentration exhibitedin the initial aliquot, as provided by certain ones of the inventivecoffee tablets, may be expressed as the amount of coffee solidsextracted during the initial brew period, as a percentage of the totalextracted coffee solids during the entire brew. In one example using anautomatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, the coffee solids extracted during thefirst 200 g of a 1330 g brew is approximately 5-15% of the total coffeesolids extracted during the entire brew, and may, for example, beapproximately 5-11% of the total coffee solids extracted during theentire brew (as compared to approximately 30-60% solids extraction for acorresponding roast and ground coffee).

An increased instantaneous extracted coffee solids concentrationexhibited in the middle portion, as provided by certain ones of theinventive coffee tablets, may be expressed as the amount of coffeesolids extracted during the mid-range brew period (during which the oneor more aliquots taken to form the middle portion of the brew arecollected), as a percentage of the total extracted coffee solids duringthe entire brew. In one example using an automatic drip coffee makerhaving a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, the coffeesolids extracted during the 250 g after the first 250 g of a 1330 g brewis approximately 35-50% of the total extracted coffee solids during theentire brew, and may, for example, be approximately 40-50% of the totalcoffee solids extracted during the entire brew (as compared toapproximately 20-40% solids extraction for a corresponding roast andground coffee). In another example using an automatic drip coffee makerhaving a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, the coffeesolids extracted during the 200 g after the first 300 g of a 1330 g brewis approximately 33-40% of the total coffee solids extracted during theentire brew (as compared to approximately 15-27% solids extraction for acorresponding roast and ground coffee).

A reduced instantaneous extracted coffee solids concentration measuredduring an initial brew period, followed by an increased instantaneousextracted coffee solids concentration measured during a subsequentmid-range brew period, as provided by certain ones of the inventivecoffee tablets, may be expressed as a ratio of the total coffee solidsextracted during the initial brew period divided by the total coffeesolids extracted during the mid-range brew period (or vice versa). Asone example using an automatic drip coffee maker having a water deliveryrate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, a ratio of the total coffee solidsextracted during the first 250 g of a 1330 g brew to the total coffeesolids extracted during the next 250 g of the brew is approximately0.3-0.65 (as compared to a corresponding roast and ground coffee ratioof approximately 2-5). As another example using an automatic drip coffeemaker having a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, aratio of the total coffee solids extracted during the first 200 g of a1330 g brew to the total coffee solids extracted during the 200 g afterthe first 300 g of the brew is approximately 0.18-0.31 (as compared to acorresponding roast and ground coffee ratio of approximately 1.4-3.5).As still another example using an automatic drip coffee maker having awater delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, a ratio of the totalcoffee solids extracted during the first 200 g of a 1330 g brew to thetotal coffee solids extracted during the 250 g after the first 250 g ofthe brew is approximately 0.14-0.25 (as compared to a correspondingroast and ground coffee ratio of approximately 1.0-2.2).

Further, the brew dynamics of the inventive tabletted coffee product maybe such that after some intermediate point in the brewing process (e.g.,after an initial approximately 600-850 g of a 1330 g brew) using anautomatic drip coffee maker having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, the cumulative mass of coffee solidsextracted exceeds the cumulative mass of coffee solids extracted frombrewing the same untabletted coffee in roasted and ground form at acorresponding point in its brewing process. In one such example, thisintermediate point is approximately 300-360 seconds into a 630-secondtotal brewing period.

Additionally or alternatively, the inventive coffee tablets, whenbrewed, may result in absorbance during an initial portion of the brewthat is lower than that produced during the same initial portion of abrew when brewing the corresponding untabletted coffee. A reducedabsorbance during an initial brew period, followed by an increasedabsorbance during a subsequent mid-range brew period, as provided bycertain ones of the inventive coffee tablets, may be expressed as aratio of the absorbance of the brew during the initial brew perioddivided by the absorbance of the brew during the mid-range brew period(or vice versa). As one example using an automatic drip coffee makerhaving a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1 g/sec, a ratio ofthe absorbance during the first 250 g of a 1330 g brew to the absorbanceduring the next 250 g of the brew is approximately 0.3-0.6 (as comparedto a corresponding roast and ground coffee ratio of approximately1.5-2.5).

Instant Coffee

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, it has been foundthat instant coffee when included in the inventive coffee tablets insmall but suitable amounts acts as a binder, a disintegration aid and abrewing aid.

Coffee tablets formed entirely from instant coffee have been made butsuch products typically do not have the desired flavor and aromacharacteristics of conventional ground roast coffee. Instant coffee,however, can be mixed with ground roast coffee at low levels andtabletted in accordance with the teachings herein.

The amount of instant coffee that may be included in the inventiveground roast coffee tablets in accordance with this aspect of theinvention should be enough to achieve a noticeable improvement in atleast one of the properties indicated above, i.e., binding strength,ease of disintegration and/or brewing efficiency, without undulyaltering the flavor of the coffee brew produced. In general, this meansthat the amount of instant coffee included will normally be ≧˜0.5 wt. %,≧˜1 wt. % or ≧˜3 wt. %, based on the total amount of coffee solids inthe tablet (i.e., the total amount of ground roast coffee, decaffeinatedground roast coffee and instant coffee). In addition, this also meansthat the amount of instant coffee included will normally be ≦˜15 wt. %,more typically ≦˜10 wt. %, or ≦˜6 wt. %, ≦˜5 wt. % or even ≦˜4 wt. %,based on the total amount of coffee solids in the tablet (i.e., thetotal amount of ground roast coffee, decaffeinated ground roast coffeeand instant coffee). Embodiments in which the inventive coffee tabletscontain up to 20 wt. % or even 30 wt. % instant coffee are contemplated.

The presence of instant coffee in coffee tablets can be detected by anumber of different methods. The process of making instant coffeechanges the composition of the coffee. One compositional change thatoccurs is a change in the concentration of low molecular weightcarbohydrates that are present. Compounds that tend to be increased ininstant coffees are monosaccharides, especially the monosaccharidesmannose, arabinose, and galactose. These may be measured by a variety ofmethods. However, one method is described in R. M. Noyes and C. M. Chu,“Material Balance on Free Sugars in the Production of Instant Coffee”,ASIC, 15^(th) Colloque, Montpellier, 1993, which is incorporated hereinby reference. These three compounds increase in instant coffee comparedto roast ground coffee. Galactose is especially interesting becauseprevious reports have indicated that galactose is not present in roastground coffee. The other monosaccharides may be present in ground roastcoffee, but it is believed that they are present at much lower levelsthan they are in instant coffee. These differences in the amount of lowmolecular weight carbohydrates present in tablets made from mixtures ofroast ground coffee and instant coffee do not affect the flavor of thecoffee brew produced, as long as the weight percent of instant coffeepresent in the tablets is kept within the ranges described herein.Interesting levels of these specific carbohydrates in certainembodiments of the coffee tablets include: galactose in an amount>0.0005wt. %, or >0.001 wt. %, or >0.003 wt. %; galactose in an amount<0.012wt. %, or <0.02 wt. %, or <0.03 wt. %; arabinose in an amount>0.0045 wt.%, or >0.005 wt. %, or >0.0075; arabinose in an amount<0.04 wt. %, or<0.07 wt. %, or <0.1 wt. %; mannose in an amount>0.007 wt. %, or >0.0075wt. %, or >0.008 wt. %; and mannose in an amount<0.03 wt. %, or <0.04wt. %, or <0.06 wt. %. These may be determined using a gas chromatographas follows: samples are freeze dried to remove water prior to theanalysis; samples are processed with dimethyl sulfoxide to solubilizethe sugars and the solution is silated with tri-sil concentrate, whichcauses the free sugars to form a volatile complex which is analyzed bydirect injection into a gas chromatograph. The percent relative standarddeviation for this method has been determined to be 2.52% for mannitoland 1.49% for total free sugars.

Additionally, although not tested, the differences in visible appearanceand the hygroscopic nature of instant coffee might permit the presenceof instant coffee in a coffee tablet to be detected by a visualinspection, especially if observed under a microscope. For example, theaddition of small amounts of steam to roast ground coffee will notgreatly affect the roast ground coffee appearance (perhaps it willdarken). In contrast, instant coffee is known to absorb steam and mayappear to liquefy and perhaps “melt.” This visual effect will likely bemore pronounced if the tablets being tested are broken up before beingsteamed and viewed under a microscope. In addition, the visualinspection of a tablet under a microscope without steaming might permita determination that instant coffee is present in the coffee tablet.This is because instant coffee is known to have a very differentappearance than ground roast coffee. This different appearance may ormay not be easy to detect with tablets formed from both ground roastcoffee and instant coffee, as the tabletting process may change the sizeof the particles making the difference between instant coffee particlesand ground roast coffee particles harder to see.

Drying the Coffee Beans Before Roasting

Another interesting aspect of this invention relates to controlling thesize and properties of the inventive ground roast coffee tablets bylow-moisture drying of the coffee beans that are used to make the groundroast coffee from which these inventive ground roast coffee tablets aresubsequently made, i.e., by drying these coffee beans to a moisturecontent below the 12% level of conventional coffee beans prior toroasting. In particular, it is possible to reduce the friability ofthese tablets by a factor of as much as 2, 4, 6, 10 and even 100 bydrying the coffee beans in this manner. Also, corresponding reductionsin tablet volume can be achieved, which are on the order of 10%, 20% andeven 30% as compared to the volume of an otherwise identical tablet madefrom conventionally dried coffee beans.

In accordance with this aspect of the invention, coffee beans arefurther dried before roasting from a conventional moisture content of˜12% to a moisture content of ≦10%, ≦8%, ≦7%, ≦6%, or even ≦5%. Thuslow-moisture drying the beans to a moisture content of ˜0.5 to ˜10%, ˜2%to ˜7%, ˜2% to ˜6%, ˜3% to ˜6%, or even ˜3% to ˜5%, is contemplated.This additional drying may take place at the end of the standard dryingor may be added as an additional drying step prior to roasting. However,in either case, the moisture should be reduced prior to roasting.

This additional or low moisture drying can occur at any suitable set ofconditions in one or more additional drying steps and is convenientlydone by heating the coffee beans at from 70° to 325° F. (21° to 163°C.), or ˜70° F. to ˜300° F., ˜120° F. to ˜275° F., or even ˜160° F. to˜250° F. over drying times lasting ˜1 minute to ˜24 hours, ˜30 minutesto ˜24 hours, ˜1 hour to ˜24 hours, ˜1 hour to ˜12 hours, ˜1 hour to ˜6hours, or even ˜2 hours to ˜6 hours. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No.5,322,703 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,757, which describe methods forlow-moisture drying coffee beans prior to roasting. The disclosures ofboth of these patents are incorporated herein by reference.

After moisture reduction in accordance with this aspect of theinvention, the low-moisture beans obtained can then be roasted by anyconventional technique, as discussed above. For example, thelow-moisture dried beans can be charged into a bubbling bed or fluidizedbed roaster where they contact a hot air stream at inlet air temperatureof from ˜350° to ˜1200° F. (˜177° C. to ˜649° C.) preferably from ˜400°F. to ˜800° F. (˜204° C. to ˜427° C.), at roast times from ˜10 secondsto not longer than ˜5.5 minutes, preferably from ˜10 to ˜47 seconds.

The low-moisture dried coffees may be used alone or in mixtures withother coffee beans, both low-moisture dried and conventionally dried.

Flavorants

Flavorants, both liquid and solid, can be included in the inventivecoffee tablets in conventional amounts. Exemplary flavorants includeFrench vanilla, hazelnut, amaretto, cappuccino, chocolate, mint,peppermint, cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, maple, toffee, pumpkin, spices,Irish Cream, Kahlua®, Crème Brulee, and nut flavors such as almond andmacadamia nut, and so forth.

A number of difficulties may arise when flavorants are added to coffeeproducts. First, flavorants are normally added at a standardized levelrather than at levels specifically targeted to a type of consumer.Consequently, all consumers get the same relative amount of flavor,whether or not they prefer a higher or lower flavor intensity. Second,flavorants may segregate during shipping and handling, so that theconcentration of flavoring may vary through the mass of the coffeeproduct (for example, low at the top of the canister and high at thebottom of the canister). Third, the timing associated with when thearoma of the flavorant is released during the brewing cycle is difficultto control, even though generating different aromas at different timesin the brew cycle may be desirable.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, these problems arelargely eliminated by including flavorants in the inventive coffeetablets. For example, since all the ingredients of the inventive coffeetablets have been compacted together, segregation of flavorants islargely eliminated. Additionally, the dry flavorant in U.S. Pat. No.6,841,185 also helps prevent segregation in the in-feed to theequipment, as described in that patent. Moreover, because the inventivecoffee tablets can be formulated with different flavorants, and withdifferent amounts of flavorants, the desired flavor and intensity of abrewed coffee can be easily customized to taste, by appropriatelyselecting and combining different amounts of different flavored coffeetablets to use in the brewing cycle. Moreover, since the coffee tabletscan be produced with the flavorants located in different portionsthroughout the inventive coffee tablets (e.g., in the middle, on thesurface, in between the two), the timing associated with when the aromais released in the brew cycle can also be selected and controlled.

As appreciated by coffee professionals, coffee flavorants are normallyadded to coffee products by means of flavor carriers that are providedto make dispensing, metering and mixing of the flavorant with the coffeeproduct easier. Moreover, these carrier-containing flavorantcompositions can be in dry, liquid, or paste forms. In accordance withthis invention, some flavor carriers have surprisingly been found to actlike binders in coffee tablets. Encapsulated flavorants such as thosedescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,185, can also be used.The entire disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein byreference. In this regard, it has been further found, in accordance withthis aspect of the invention, that by adding flavorants to the inventivecoffee tablets using the solid carriers described in U.S. Pat. No.6,841,185, stronger tablets which generate a greater yield of coffeesolids in the brewed coffee product are obtained, as compared withtablets which do not contain flavorant.

Use of a dry flavorant in formulating the inventive coffee tablets has anumber of benefits. Mixing a dry flavorant with a dry coffee compositionensures that the flavor is uniformly distributed within the coffee priorto tabletting. In addition, using a dry flavor compositions allowstablets to be made in which some of the flavor can be incorporated intoa separate dry layer residing on one or more surfaces, or in the middleof the tablet. It is also possible to have some of the flavor mixed inwith the ground roast coffee and a second portion of the flavorantresiding on the surface of the tablet or arranged in a multi-layerarrangement with other flavor layers. This not only provides aninteresting visual signal to the consumer that a flavorant or flavorantsare present, but it also allows for a time release characteristicassociated with the release of the aroma of the flavorant to beincorporated into the tablet. For example, a first flavor layer may beplaced on the outside of the tablet to release a first aroma of thefirst flavorant, and a second flavor layer may be placed in the insideof the tablet to release a second aroma of the second flavorant later.The first and second flavorants may have the same or different flavorsand aromas.

This same effect can also be achieved with flavor “bits” which can bemixed in with the coffee and/or adhered to the surface.

Normally, the dry flavorants used in making the inventive coffee tabletswill have a moisture content in the range of ˜1% to ˜7%, a particledensity in the range of ˜0.1 g/cc to ˜0.8 g/cc, and a mean particle sizedistribution in the range of ˜5 microns to ˜150 microns, although dryflavorants with moisture contents, particle densities, and mean particlesize distributions outside these ranges can also be used. The ratio ofcoffee component particle size to flavor component particle size isgenerally in the range of from ˜100:1 to ˜5:1.

When dry flavorants are used in making the inventive coffee tablets(including wet flavorants encapsulated in dry flavor carriers), they aretypically present in the amount of ˜0.5% to ˜20% of flavorant, or ˜2% to˜15%, more preferably from ˜3% to ˜10%, ˜4% to ˜8%, on a on a dry weightbasis.

When liquid or paste flavorants are used in making the inventive coffeetablets, they are typically present in the amount of ˜0.5% to ˜20% offlavorant, or ˜1.5% to ˜15% or ˜2% to ˜12%, more preferably from ˜3% to˜10%, or even ˜3% to ˜8%.

WORKING EXAMPLES

In order to more thoroughly describe this invention, the followingworking examples are presented.

In all of the working examples below, percent brew solids was calculatedusing a recognized correlation between the percent brew solids of thebrewed coffee product and the refractive index of the brewed coffeeproduct, with percent brew solids being calculated as(549.209×RI)−731.575 (at a temperature basis of 29° C.). The total brewsolids was then determined by multiplying the percent brew solids by themass of brewed coffee product, and the percent yield was calculated bydividing the total extracted brew solids by the total mass of coffeeplaced in the brewer (multiplied by 100).

In the working examples presented in co-pending U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/168,027, filed on Apr. 9, 2009 and entitledGROUND ROAST COFFEE TABLET (the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference), the calculated correlation betweenrefractive index and percent brew solids differed from the abovecorrelation, as percent brew solids was calculated as(560.224×RI)−746.216 (at a temperature basis of 20° C.). Additionally,the zero point measurement for refractive index was measured at 1.33200,and has since been adjusted to 1.33204. As a result, due to changes tothe temperature basis (from 20° C. to 29° C.) and the zero pointmeasurement for refractive index, the calculated percent brew solids,total brew solids, and percent yield in the earlier working exampleswere approximately 15% greater than the corresponding calculated valuesdetermined and presented herein. For the working examples that have beenre-presented in the present application, the percent brew solids, totalbrew solids, and percent yield have been adjusted to correspond to thenewly adopted correlations and measurements (i.e., based on percent brewsolids=(549.209×RI)−731.575, and RI zero point=1.33204).

Example 1 Pre-Compression

Brazilian arabica coffee beans were roasted and ground. This groundroast coffee had a Hunter L-color of 17.9, a bulk density of 0.294 g/cm³and a mean particle size of 885 microns. The ground roast coffee so madewas formed into cylindrical tablets containing ˜2.65 gms ground roastcoffee (moisture content 4.75%) and having a diameter of about 24 to24.5 mm by means of a Fette Model 2200SE multiple station tablettingmachine operating at a rate of 90,000 tablets per hour (over 3000tablets per hour per station and a dwell time of ˜14 millisecond) underdifferent conditions in which the compaction force in the main orprimary compactions step was held constant but the compaction force inpre-compression step was varied.

The hardness of the tablets so made was determined using a Varian VK200Tablet Hardness tester set in the N (Newton) mode, while the friabilityof the tablets obtained using a Varian Friabilator having a dual chamberdrum by rotating 25 grams of the tablets in the drum of the machine for100 revolutions at a rate of 25 rpm and then determining the amount ofthese tablets that passes through a #4 American Standard Wire Meshscreen. Multiple tablets were tested for each batch of tablets made.

The tablets so formed were then brewed into brewed coffee with Mr.Coffee® Model DR13 coffee makers, having a water delivery rate ofapproximately 2.75 g/sec, using 10 tablets (˜26.5 gms) and 1420 ml ofwater for each batch of brewed coffee brewed. For comparison purposed, acontrol experiment was run in the same way but using 29.5 gmsconventional coffee, i.e., ground roast coffee in untabletted form.

The Yield was calculated based on the grams of coffee solids recoveredin the in the brewed coffee (as determined by the mass and % brew solidsin this brewed coffee product). Meanwhile, the Yield ratio wasdetermined by comparing the Yield of coffee solids obtained when usinginventive coffee tablets in comparison with the yield of coffee solidsobtained in a control experiment in which untabletted coffee was used.The absorbance was measured by placing a sample of the brewed coffee inan 8 ml sealed vial, cooling the sample for 15 minutes at roomtemperature; transferring the sample to a cuvette and measuring theabsorbance in a Genesys 10 Spectrophotometer at 480 nm wavelength. Theabsorbance per gram was calculated by dividing the absorbance by thetotal mass of the coffee tablets used in the brew.

The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 1:

TABLE 1 Example 1—Test Conditions and Results Initial Final Tablet Comp,Comp, Mass, % Hardness, density, % Yield kN kN g Friability N g/cm³Yield Ratio Absorbance Abs/gram 4.9 39.6 2.62 18 33.1 0.90 29.8 1.221.808 0.069 20 39.7 2.68 2.5 50.8 0.96 30.1 1.23 1.763 0.066 29.7 39.72.66 6.1 45.0 0.96 27.6 1.13 1.750 0.065 37.6 39.7 2.63 4.5 46.5 0.9529.6 1.21 1.821 0.069

As can be seen from this table, increasing the force used in thepre-compression step increases the hardness and reduces the friabilityof the tablets obtained without adversely the yield of the coffee solidscontained in the finish coffee obtained. Note, also, that the tabletswith better hardness/friability profiles had densities of 0.95 g/cm³ orgreater. In addition, the ratio between the compression forces used inthe pre-compression and main compression steps ranged from ˜50% to ˜95%.Finally, also note that the yield ratio was greater than 1 for eachexperiment in this example, thereby indicating that the amount of coffeesolids extracted from a given amount of ground roast coffee issignificantly greater when that coffee is formulated into coffee tabletsin accordance with this invention rather than being used in aconventional (untabletted) form.

Example 2 Pre-Compression

Example 1 was repeated using a coffee comprising a mixture of arabicaand robusta coffee beans. The ground roast coffee so made had a bulkdensity of 0.28 g/cm³ prior to compaction with a mean particle size of720 microns. The tablets had a moisture content of about 4.7%. Tabletmass was about 2.45 grams and 10 tablets were brewed.

The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 2:

TABLE 2 Example 2—Test Conditions and Results Initial Final Tablet Comp,Comp, Mass, % Hardness, density, % Yield kN kN g Friability N g/cm³Yield Ratio Absorb Abs/g 5 50 2.44 20.7 30 0.89 29.4 1.16 1.935 0.08019.9 49.9 2.40 2.0 47.1 0.97 29.6 1.17 1.904 0.079 20.5 51 2.46 2.4 46.70.97 29.3 1.16 1.938 0.079 30.3 50.6 2.46 6.1 46.4 0.98 28.5 1.13 1.9510.079 40.2 50.2 2.45 6.6 40.8 0.98 28.2 1.11 1.939 0.080

As can be seen from Table 2, increasing the ratio of the forces used inthe pre-compression and main compression steps dramatically reducedfriability, while increasing hardness. As in Example 1, the Yield Ratiofor each experiment in this example also significantly exceeded 1,thereby further demonstrating that more coffee solids are extracted fromthe inventive tablets than are extracted from an equivalent amount ofground roast coffee in untabletted form. Note also that the bestproducts (i.e., tablets having the highest hardnesses and lowestfriabilities) had densities of 0.97 to 0.98 g/cm³ and that the ratio ofpre-compression to main compression forces ranged from ˜40% to ˜80%.

Example 3 Pre-Compression

Examples 1 and 2 were repeated, except that a different blend of arabicaand robusta coffees was used, the ground roast coffee produced having adensity of 0.33 g/cm³ and a mean particle size of 806 microns was used.The tablets were about 3 grams in mass with a moisture content of about5.2%. For brewing, 29.9 to 30.5 grams of tablets were used while 33.32grams of ground roast coffee was used in the control experiment.

The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 3:

TABLE 3 Example 3—Test Conditions and Results Initial Final Tablet Comp,Comp, Mass, % Hardness, density, % Yield kN kN g Friability N g/cm³Yield Ratio Absorb Abs/g 0.4 40 2.96 12.7 41.8 0.91 31.1 1.22 2.1090.071 5.4 40.3 3.05 12.2 43.1 0.93 32.7 1.29 2.108 0.070 20.3 40.3 3.054.2 54.9 0.96 32.0 1.26 2.223 0.073 30.2 40.9 2.99 4.9 57 0.95 28.7 1.132.135 0.071 38.1 40.7 3.00 5.8 58.8 0.97 28.6 1.12 2.200 0.073

As can be seen from Table 3, a large drop in friability was observedwhen the ratio of the force used in the pre-compression step to the maincompression step increased to ˜0.14:1 (14%) or more. The densities ofthese low friability products exceeded 0.95 g/cm³, even though the yieldratio was maintained well above 1.

Example 4 Pre-Compression

Example 3 was repeated using a higher force for the main compressionstep.

The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 4:

TABLE 4 Example 4—Test Conditions and Results Initial Final Tablet Comp,Comp, Mass, % Hardness, density, % Yield kN kN g Friability N g/cm³Yield Ratio Absorb Abs/g 5.4 50.6 2.98 17.4 45.1 0.96 30.1 1.18 2.2730.076 19.9 50.8 2.99 4.2 56.1 0.98 30.2 1.18 2.214 0.074 29.8 50.5 3.023.6 59.6 0.99 28.6 1.12 2.174 0.072 40.8 50.1 2.99 8.3 63.0 1.01 32.11.26 2.184 0.073

Again, a dramatic drop in friability and an increase in hardness wasobserved. In this case, all products had densities greater than 0.96,without adversely affecting yield, while the ratio of pre-compression tomain compression forces ranged from ˜37% to ˜82% in the tabletsexhibiting good friability. It should be noted that going to higherfinal compression alone did not yield an improved friability, hardness,or yield.

Example 5 Addition of Instant Coffee

Coffee A was prepared from a mixture of ground roast arabica and robustacoffees. Coffee B was prepared by forming a blend comprising 95.2 wt. %of Coffee A and 4.8 wt. % of commercially-available Folgers® brandinstant coffee.

Coffees A and B were each made into tablets weighing about 3 grams eachusing a Fette Model 2090 rotary tablet press set up to subject thetablets to a two-step compaction process in which the pre-compressionstep was carried out at a lower compaction force than the maincompression step. Tablets were made using seven different operatingconditions. These conditions were some combination of changes inoperating speed (rpm), pre-compression force, and/or main compressionforce. After compression, 10 tablets were brewed in a Mr. Coffee® Accel(Model PRX 23) ADC coffee-maker. After brewing, the percent of solidsextracted into the brew was measured by refractive index, which was thenconverted into total solids extracted. The yield of the roast and ground(“R&G”) coffee was calculated based on amount of solids extracteddivided by weight of coffee put into the brewer. The yield of coffeesolids extracted from the ground roast coffee portions of the respective“Coffee B's” was determined by assuming 100% extraction of the instantcoffee and subtracting the mass of the instant coffee from the totalsolids extracted.

The following results were obtained:

TABLE 5 Example 5—Test Conditions and Results Tablet % Solids R&G TabletTablet Volume at Mass, Brew in Brew, extracted, R&G Vol. same BrewSolids Coffee Run g Solids g g Yield cm³ cm³ A 1 3.17 0.65 8.58 8.580.27 3.17 3.17 B 1 3.08 0.82 10.72 9.24 0.32 3.11 2.47 A 2 3.05 0.628.13 8.13 0.27 3.09 3.09 B 2 2.98 0.80 10.59 9.16 0.32 2.98 2.32 A 33.06 0.64 8.46 8.46 0.28 3.18 3.18 B 3 3.07 0.82 10.84 9.37 0.32 3.162.48 A 4 2.98 0.60 7.89 7.89 0.26 3.06 3.06 B 4 3.0 0.71 9.40 7.96 0.283.05 2.58 A 5 3.0 0.60 7.96 7.96 0.27 3.03 3.03 B 5 3.01 0.71 9.40 7.960.28 2.95 2.57 A 6 2.9 0.55 7.33 7.33 0.25 3.01 3.01 B 6 3.0 0.93 12.2310.79 0.38 3.1 1.85 A 7 2.94 0.76 10.09 10.09 0.34 2.93 2.93 B 7 3.040.79 10.40 8.94 0.31 3.01 2.92 Mean 3.01 0.63 8.35 8.35 0.28 3.06 3.06of A Mean 3.03 0.80 10.51 9.06 0.32 3.05 2.42 of B Ratio 1.26 1.14 0.79

In the table above, the conversion from % Brew Solids to Solids in Brewwas based on an assumption that 1320 ml of liquid brew was obtained forall products. This is a reasonable value for what one would expect tocome out of a brew basket based on using 1420 mls of water going intothe brew. (This is different from what was done in examples 1, 2, 3, 4,and 8 where the actual amount of liquid brew was measured and used.)

As can be seen, the addition of the instant coffee not only gave higheroverall brew solids, but also increased the yield of the coffee solidsextracted from the ground roast (R&G) coffee used. That is to say, morecoffee solids was extracted from a given amount of ground roast coffeewhen instant coffee was also included in the inventive coffee tablets ascompared to essentially identical coffee tablets not containing instantcoffee.

The last column on the right of Table 1 shows a calculated tablet sizethat would be obtained if the tablets made from Coffee B were resized togive the same overall extraction yield as the tablets made from CoffeeA. As can be seen, the resized tablets made from Coffee B would be 20%smaller than the tablets made only from Coffee A.

Example 6 Addition of Instant Coffee

Additional data was collected from the same runs disclosed above inExample 5. This additional data is shown in Table 6 below as well asattached FIG. 2 in which the labels for each data point gives the fillvolume for the die.

TABLE 6 Example 6—Test Conditions and Results Coffee Run RPM Fill VolumeTablet Mass Fill Density A 1 17.47 9.12 3.17 0.348 B 1 17.24 8.23 3.080.374 A 2 17.47 9.12 3.05 0.334 B 2 17.24 8.23 3.0 0.365 A 3 34.48 9.123.06 0.336 B 3 34.48 8.45 3.07 0.363 A 4 34.48 9.12 2.98 0.327 B 4 34.488.45 2.99 0.354 A 5 34.48 9.12 3.00 0.329 B 5 34.48 8.45 3.01 0.356 A 651.72 9.565 2.90 0.303 B 6 50.63 9.12 3.00 0.329 A 7 51.72 9.565 2.940.307 B 7 50.63 9.12 3.04 0.333 Mean of A 9.247 3.014 0.326 Mean of B8.579 3.027 0.353 Ratio 0.928 1.004 1.083

From Table 6 and FIG. 2, it can be seen that the fill volume for CoffeeB was less than the fill volume for Coffee A for each run. Note, also,that the mass of Coffee A decreased, while that of Coffee B remainedfairly constant. In addition, although the fill volume for Coffee Aincreased, it was always larger than the fill volume for Coffee B.Comparing especially the highest machine speed, the fill volume forCoffee B was 5% less than for Coffee A, yet the tablet mass was 4%higher.

This shows that including instant coffee in the inventive ground roastcoffee tablets allows a more efficient fill of the individual dies, andhence higher operating speeds of the machine, before machine capacity islimited by die filling. This effect, coupled with the lower mass madepossible by including instant coffee, as described in Example 5, enableseven higher machine operating speeds to be obtained.

The operating speed of tabletting machines should not be increased sohigh that tablet mass decreases appreciably or varies unacceptably for agiven ground roast coffee. If tablets are underweight relative to othertablets made from the same ground roast coffee, a consumer may bedissatisfied because brewing the tablets will result in too weak of abrew. Additionally, if the tablet mass varies too much for a givenground roast coffee, a consumer may be discouraged from using thetablets because the resulting brew differs too much from use to use.

Example 7 Low-Moisture Drying of Coffee Beans

Coffee A was made by roasting Mexican arabica coffee beans in a NeuhausNeotec roaster for 3.3 minutes to an L-color of 12.2. Coffee B was madefrom the same Mexican arabica coffee beans, which were low-moisturedried to a moisture content of 5 wt. % before roasting, and then roastedin a Neuhaus Neotec roaster for 2.3 minutes to an L-color of 12.6. Bothcoffees were ground roast to a similar mean particle size (˜760microns), with Coffee A exhibiting a moisture content of 4.9% and adensity of 0.27 g/cm³ while Coffee B exhibited a moisture content of5.0% and a density of 0.22 g/cm³. Both coffees were then made intotablets having a nominal diameter of 23.8 mm using a Fette Model 2200rotary tablet press operating at a pre-compression force of 35 kN, amain compression force of 40 kN and an operating speed of 17.2 rpm. Themass of the ground roast coffee fed to the machine was varied such thattablets made from Coffee A averaged 2.8 grams while those from coffee Baveraged 2.0 grams. Tablet A had an average volume of 2.9 cm³ whiletablet B had an average volume of 2.0 cm³, a 30% reduction in volume.Friability was measured and was found to be 0.95% for Coffee A and 0.06%for Coffee B, which represents a reduction of over 90%, or by a factorof over 15.

After production, tablets were brewed in a Mr. Coffee® Accel (Model PRX23) automatic drip coffeemaker. Brewing was conducted with 10 cups ofwater. Total coffee used was 30.9 g for coffee A and 30.6 g for coffeeB. After brewing the % brew solids in the brewed coffee made from coffeeA was found to be 0.66 wt. %, while the % brew solids for the brewedcoffee made from coffee B was found to be 0.64 wt. %. In addition, theyield for coffee A was found to be 28.4%, while the yield for coffee Bwas found to be 27.7%, even though coffee tablets B were ˜30% smaller.

As can be seen from this experiment, although much smaller tablets weremade in the case of Coffee B, the extraction of coffee solids fromCoffee B was essentially the same as that for Coffee A. Moreover, thefriability of the tablets made from Coffee B was lower than thefriability of the tablets made from Coffee A.

Example 8 Low-Moisture Drying of Coffee Beans

Example 7 was repeated using different machine operating conditions formaking the tablets. Table 7 compares the results obtained usinglow-moisture dried coffee beans and non-low-moisture dried(conventionally dried) coffee beans.

TABLE 7 Example 8—Test Conditions and Results Compression, kN % TabletBrew Brew Tablet Run Coffee RPM Pre- Main Friability Mass Mass SolidsVolume A Regular 17.2 16 21 1.26 2.84 31.3 0.75 3.2 Dried 17.2 15 200.31 1.99 29.8 0.61 2.2 B Regular 17.2 16 40 1.69 2.86 31.4 0.67 3.01Dried 17.2 16 40 0.10 2.06 31.0 0.68 2.17 C Regular 17.2 26 42 0.96 2.8531.3 0.75 3.55 Dried 17.2 25 40 0.10 2.02 30.2 0.7 2.06 D Regular 34.516 40 1.54 2.84 31.3 0.75 3.06 Dried 34.5 16 39 0.04 1.97 31.5 0.63 2.09E Regular 34.5 25 30 1.56 2.64 29.6 0.6 2.84 Dried 34.5 25 31 0.29 1.9631.4 0.73 2.05 F Regular 34.5 36 40 1.44 2.78 30.1 0.76 2.87 Dried 34.535 41 0.18 1.97 29.5 0.65 1.99

The mean values for the results obtained in Example 8, as reported inTable 7, are reported in Table 8 below:

TABLE 8 Example 8—Mean Values for Test Results Tablet Brewing BrewTablet Set Coffee % Friability Mass Mass Solids Volume Mean Regular 1.412.80 30.8 0.71 3.10 Mean Dried 0.17 2.00 30.6 0.67 2.10

The mean values for the combined results obtained in Examples 7 and 8are reported in Table 9 below:

TABLE 9 Examples 7 and 8—Mean Values for Test Results from Both ExamplesTablet Brewing Brew Tablet % Comparison Coffee % Friability Mass MassSolids Volume Yield Mean Regular 1.34 2.81 30.8 0.71 3.07 24.5 MeanDried 0.15 2.00 30.6 0.66 2.09 32.4

From Tables 7, 8 and 9, it can be seen that reducing the moisturecontent of the ground roast coffee before roasting enabled a reductionin friability of about 90% and a reduction in tablet volume of about30%.

Example 9 Low-Moisture Drying of Coffee Beans

A regular roast, ground roast coffee was made using 55% arabica coffeebeans and 45% robusta coffee beans. On average, the coffee beans wereroasted to a Hunter L color of about 15.7 L over a roast period of about3.2 minutes. All coffees were treated by typical processing to provideground roast coffees have a typical particle size of approximately 825microns and a typical density of about 0.33 g/cm³. A ground roast coffeewas made from 10% regular ground roast arabica coffee, 40% regularground roast robusta coffee, and 50% ground roast arabica coffee derivedfrom coffee beans that had been low-moisture dried to a moisture contentof about 5% to produce a ground roast coffee mixture comprising 60%arabica and 40% robusta coffees, the coffee mixture having a meanparticle size of ˜635 microns and a density of ˜0.247 g/cm³. Theroasted, ground roast coffees so made were formed into tablets in asimilar manner to that of the above Examples 7 and 8 using variousdifferent operating conditions. The tablets so obtained were then usedto brew brewed coffees in the same manner as described above inconnection with Examples 7 and 8. The various conditions used and theresults obtained are shown in the following Table 10.

TABLE 10 Example 9—Test Conditions and Results Compression, kN % TabletBrew Brew Tablet Run Coffee Rate Pre Main Friability Mass Mass SolidsVolume A Regular 17.2 15 21 66.19 3.0 30.3 0.7 3.86 Dried 17.2 16 211.43 2.8 31.1 1.05 3.43 B Regular 17.2 16 40 1.62 3.2 31.7 0.77 3.17Dried 17.2 16 41 0.45 3.0 29.8 0.77 2.98 C Regular 17.2 23 40 1.06 3.130.5 0.73 3.09 Dried 17.2 24 42 0.16 2.8 31.3 0.71 2.81 D Regular 17.224 60 1.57 3.15 31.46 0.78 3.07 Dried 17.2 25 60 0.22 2.95 29.5 0.772.85 E Regular 17.2 35 40 0.78 3.02 30.26 0.63 3.0 Dried 17.2 36 41 0.082.82 30.99 0.78 2.76 F Regular 34.5 15 41 3.03 3.06 30.61 0.75 3.18Dried 34.5 16 40 0.31 2.86 31.46 0.80 2.93 G Regular 34.5 16 61 3.973.13 31.23 0.75 3.14 Dried 34.5 16 61 0.38 2.92 29.17 0.77 2.92 HRegular 34.5 26 41 1.38 2.98 29.77 0.70 3.06 Dried 34.5 25 43 0.14 2.8330.97 0.78 2.82 I Regular 51.7 16 40 4.13 2.91 29.11 0.75 3.10 Dried51.1 15 41 0.76 2.58 30.98 0.80 2.73 H Regular 51.7 25 41 2.32 2.9 29.230.65 3.01 Dried 52.4 25 40 0.72 2.59 30.78 0.66 2.66 I Regular 51.7 2460 2.28 2.94 32.02 0.9 2.93 Dried 52.2 24 61 0.52 2.61 30.9 0.8 2.60 JRegular 52.2 31 50 2.93 2.87 31.33 0.77 2.88 Dried 52.5 30 50 4.44 2.631.18 0.73 2.6

The mean values for the results obtained in Example 9, as reported inTable 10, are reported in Table 11 below:

TABLE 11 Example 9—Mean Values for Test Results Com- % Fri- par- abil-Tablet Brewing Brew Tablet ison Coffee Rate ity Mass Mass Solids VolumeMean Regular 7.61 3.02 30.63 0.74 3.12 Mean Dried 0.80 2.78 30.68 0.792.84

Because the first friability data point reported in Table 10 (Run A,Regular Coffee, Friability) appears to be a bad data point, thefollowing Table 12 reports the mean values obtained in Table 10 withthis bad data point being excluded.

TABLE 12 -Example 9-Mean Values for Test Results with Bad Data PointExcluded Com- % Fri- par- abil- Tablet Brewing Brew Tablet ison CoffeeRate ity Mass Mass Solids Volume Mean Regular 2.28 3.02 30.66 0.74 3.06Mean Dried 0.74 2.78 30.64 0.76 2.79

Tables 10, 11 and 12 show that forming the inventive ground roast coffeetablets from 50% low-moisture dried coffee beans, at least when roastedquickly to a dark color, reduced the friability of these tablets byabout 65% (or, by a factor of more than 3) compared with otherwiseidentically prepared tablets made from ground roasted coffees derivedfrom conventionally dried (˜12% moisture content) coffee beans roastedto comparable colors (i.e., within about two Hunter L units). Inaddition, a 9% reduction in tablet volume was also achieved relative totablets made with the conventionally dried coffee beans.

Roast and ground coffee from pre-dried green coffee that has not beenquickly roasted to a dark enough color does not appear to provideimproved friability (i.e., does not provide decreased friability)relative to non-pre-dried green coffee. For example, pre-dried coffeeroasted to 18.8 L and then ground and tabletted did not show an improvedfriability vis-à-vis normal moisture beans or vis-à-vis a 50/50 mix ofpre-dry and normal moisture green coffee.

Example 10 Liquid Flavor Carrier

Additional coffee tablets were made using the inventive multi-stepcompaction process in general accordance with Examples 1-4 in which themagnitude of the initial compression step as well as the speed of thepress, as measured by dwell time in the main compression step werevaried. The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 15(runs b and d are from Example 3):

TABLE 15 Example 10-Set 1-Test Conditions and Results Dwell InitialFinal Hard- Fria- Ktab/ Time, Compression, Compression, ness, bility,Run hr msec kN kN N % a 60 21.0 20.5 40.7 60.5 2.3 b 90 14.0 20.3 40.354.9 4.2 c 120 10.5 20 40.2 43.0 9.1 d 90 14.0 0.4 40 41.8 12.7

By comparing Runs b and d, which were carried out at the same productionrate (90,000 tablets/hr with a dwell time of 14.0 milliseconds), it canbe seen that (as in the case of Examples 1-4) the both hardness andfriability are improved when the force encountered in the initialcompression step was more than about 20% of the force encountered in themain or primary compression step in accordance with this invention. Itwill also be noted, however, that as the production rate of theinventive tablets increased (runs a through c), hardness and friabilitydeclined somewhat (although both were still better than the control, Rund).

Another set of experiments similar to Set 1 above was run using adifferent coffee. The results obtained are set forth in the followingTable 16:

TABLE 16 Example 10-Set 2-Test Conditions and Results Dwell InitialFinal Hard- Fria- Ktab/ Time, Compression, Compression, ness, bility,Run hr msec kN kN N % e 90 14.0 30.7 49.6 56.3 4.7 f 120 10.5 29.9 49.243.4 9.0 g 130 9.7 30.8 49.8 42.1 11.8

Again, these results show the same trend as in the above Set 1, i.e.,that as the production rate of the inventive tablets increased, hardnessand friability declined somewhat.

Still another set of experiments similar to Sets 1 and 2 above was runusing the same coffee and conditions of Set 2, except that the inventivetablets contained 3 wt. % of a liquid flavor carrier comprisingpropylene glycol and triacetin. The results obtained are set forth inthe following Table 17:

TABLE 17 Example 10-Set 3-Test Conditions and Results Dwell InitialFinal Hard- Fria- Ktab/ Time, Compression, Compression, ness, bility,Run hr msec kN kN N % h 90 14.0 30.7 49.5 79.2 0.9 i 120 10.5 29.2 49.471.8 1.5 j 130 9.7 29.2 50.3 74.5 2.1

These results show the same trend as in the above Sets 1 and 2, i.e.,that as the production rate of the inventive tablets increased, hardnessand friability declined somewhat. However, Table 17 shows that themagnitude of this effect is greatly reduced due to the presence of theliquid flavor carrier.

Example 11 Liquid Flavor Carrier

Brazilian coffee beans were roasted and ground. This ground roast coffeehad a Hunter L-color of 16.8 a bulk density of 0.31 g/cm³ and a meanparticle size of 890 microns. The roasted and ground coffee wasseparated into three batches. One batch was mixed with 3 wt. % propyleneglycol (PG), based on the total weight of the composition obtained. Asecond batch was mixed 3 wt. % of a 90/10 w/w mixture of propyleneglycol and triacetin (PG/TriA). No flavor carrier was added to the thirdbatch, although it was mixed in a similar manner to the other batches.All mixing was done using a Forberg mixer.

Each of the three batches were made into tablets using a Fette 2200 SEtabletting press at a variety of conditions. Hardness was measuredimmediately after production and again at least 6 days after production.Friability was measured at least 6 days after production.

All tablets were brewed in a Mr. Coffee® Accel (Model PRX 23) ADCcoffee-maker. Approximately 26 grams of tablets were brewed for eachproduct. The % brew solids and the yield of coffee solids obtained inthe final product were also determined.

Nine different runs were made at different operating conditions, eachrun comparing the three different batches of tablets as described above.Table 18 below shows the mean values obtained for the hardness,friability, and brew yields obtained for each of these experiments.

TABLE 18 Example 11- Set 1-Results Obtained Initial Final Hardness %Hardness, Hardness, Change, % Brew % Coffee N N N Fribilaity SolidsYield Absorbance Control 54.8 47.8 −7.0 7.8 0.72 35.1 1.88 Control +77.6 79.8 2.2 1.1 0.8 39.2 2.1 propylene glycol Control 56.4 49.7 −6.76.3 0.73 35.3 1.88 Control + 69.8 71.5 1.7 1.9 0.78 37.8 2.15 liquidmixture

As can be seen from Table 18, the addition of the liquid carrier gaveincreased hardness and lower friability without impairing brewingperformance. Moreover, addition of the liquid carrier also prevented thetablets from experiencing the same small yet still significant decreasein hardness within their first week of manufacture shown by the Controltablets.

Additionally, the liquid flavor carriers appear to be so effective thatuse of such liquid flavor carriers can make very low pre-compressionforces viable at a high rate of manufacture (and perhaps will make nopre-compression tablets viable at high rates of manufacture). Thefollowing Table 19 shows examples of products made with low initialcompression. They are not as good as tablets made with a higher initialcompression; however, they may be commercially acceptable.

TABLE 19 Example 11- Set 2-Results Obtained Initial Final Dwell Compres-Compres- Hard- Fria- Ktab/ Time, sion, sion, ness, bility, Coffee hrmsec kN kN N % C-2 + PG 90 14.0 0.4 40.2 65.7 2.07 C-2 + PG/TriA 90 14.00.3 40.8 49.3 8.38 C-2 + PG/TriA 90 14.0 5 40.2 49.6 5.10 C-2 + PG/TriA90 14.0 0.3 19.8 33.0 9.86 C-2 90 14.0 4.9 40.8 42.3 8.27

Example 12 Dry Flavorant

A brewed coffee was made with added dry French Vanilla flavor added at3% w/w level. The flavor compound was intended to be used at a nominal3% level (as discussed above in connection with the discussion of flavorcarriers and flavorants). The coffee was turned into tablets inaccordance with this invention using a Fette Model 2090 rotary tabletpress. Compression conditions used were pre-compression of 22 kN and amain compression of 35 kN in a rotary press having 29 stations withround dies of nominally 23.8 mm in diameter and operating at a speed of25.9 rpm, thereby producing 45,000 tablets per hour (about 1550 tabletsper set of compressions per die per hour; the other values herein fortablets per hour using the Fette Model 2090 rotary tablet press can beconverted to tablets per set of compressions per die per hour bydividing the hourly rate by 29 (there are 29 stations in the pressused). In the case of rpm, the tablets per set of compressions per dieper hour may be obtained by multiplying the rpm by 60 minutes per hour).The tablets obtained had an average mass of 2.87 grams, an averagehardness of 112 N and an average friability of 0.26%.

After production, the tablets were filled into metalized tin cans.Another set of cans was filled with a control sample composed of theroast ground coffee from which the tablets were made in untablettedform. Cans were sealed and stored at 70° F. After two weeks, theseproducts were evaluated for the concentration of certain volatiles inthe outgas obtained from these products at the time they were removedfrom their respective cans.

In particular, for the control sample of conventional ground roastcoffee, a coffee sample was removed from the can and placed in a closedcontainer. In the case of the inventive coffee tablets, the tablets weregently broken apart to a particle size roughly equivalent to that of theconventional ground roast coffee of the control sample, and placed in aclosed container. The outgas from the closed container of theconventional ground roast coffee and the broken apart tablets wereanalyzed. The concentrations of 25 different compounds were measured bygas chromatography, some representing the coffee volatiles recoveredfrom the ground roast coffee in both examples and others representingthe French Vanilla flavorant. The data obtained was normalized to enablea direct comparison of the concentrations of these ingredients in theirrespective outgases to one another.

The results obtained are provided in FIG. 3. As can be seen from thisfigure, the coffee volatiles outgassed from both samples, i.e., theconventional (untabletted) coffee and the inventive coffee tablets, areessentially the same.

Approximately 15 months after the samples mentioned above were analyzed,additional samples were taken from previously unopened cans of both theinventive coffee tablets and the conventional (untabletted) coffee. Theabove tests were repeated, and the results obtained reported in FIG. 4.As can be seen from this figure, essentially the same results wereobtained.

Table 20, below, shows additional data collected with respect to theExamples above:

TABLE 20 Example 12-- Results Obtained Bulk Density L- Mean particle %H2O % H2O Aw Example coffee g/cm3 color Size, microns Q250, % % Lipidwater/lipid tablet roast ground Tablet  1 0.294 17.9 885 8.6 13.3 0.3584.75 4.7 0.343  2 0.28 15.0 720 12.9 11.6 0.402 4.7 4.6 0.344 3 and 40.33 16.8 806 10.9 10.2 0.507 5.2 4.8 0.379 5 and 6 A 0.33 825 5.0 4.8 5and 6 B instant added to coffee A 7 and 8 A 0.27 12.2 754 4.9 7 and 8 B0.22 12.6 765 5.0  9 Regular 0.33 825 5.0 4.8  9 Dried 0.247 635 4.5 10Set 1 0.33 16.8 806 10.9 10.2 0.507 5.2 4.8 0.38 10 Set 2 0.31 16.8 8907.4 13.0 0.408 5.3 5.1 0.39 10 Set 3 same coffee as set 2 but withliquid flavor carrier 11 control 0.31 16.8 890 7.4 13.0 0.408 5.3 5.10.39 12 0.29 19.8 763 4.9

Example 13 Liquid Flavor Carrier

Two additional sets of coffee product were tabletted using varyingamounts of liquid flavor carrier and varying levels of pre-compressionand main compression. The first set of tabletted product used roastedand ground Brazilian coffee beans, with a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, abulk density of ˜0.293 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜874 microns, anda moisture content of ˜3.2%. The first set of roasted and ground coffeewas separated into five batches. Four of the batches were mixed withpropylene glycol (“LFC”) at levels of 0.5 wt. %, 1.0 wt. %, 3.5 wt. %,and 6.0 wt. %, respectively. The fifth batch included no added liquidflavor carrier, but was mixed in a similar manner to the other batches.All mixing was done using a Forberg mixer.

Each of the five batches were made into tablets using a Fette 2200 SEtabletting press at a variety of pre-compression and main compressionforces. All tablets were produced at a rate of 90,000 tablets per hour.Hardness was measured immediately after production and again at least 6days after production. Friability was measured at least 6 days afterproduction. The results of these measurements are listed below in Table21.

TABLE 21 Example 13—Set 1, Results Obtained Initial Final Friability, %LFC, Pre/Main Hardness, N Hardness, N %   0%, 0/20 kN 18.7 18.4 50.1  0%, 0/40 kN 22.7 25.3 27.5   0%, 10/20 kN 18.0 17.5 62.4   0%, 20/30kN 40.1 34.1 11.5   0%, 20/40 kN 38.3 36.1 8.2 0.5%, 0/20 kN 24.8 18.746.9 0.5%, 0/40 kN 35.7 29.6 16.9 0.5%, 10/20 kN 22.3 18.2 54.3 0.5%,20/30 kN 49.3 36.3 2.7 0.5%, 20/40 kN 49.0 43.0 2.3 1.0%, 0/20 kN 27.720.7 42.7 1.0%, 0/40 kN 44.0 36.5 7.2 1.0%, 10/20 kN 26.7 19.5 7.2 1.0%,20/30 kN 54.7 46.2 1.5 1.0%, 20/40 kN 55.0 50.0 1.5 3.5%, 0/20 kN 53.747.9 2.3 3.5%, 0/40 kN 60.5 71.7 0.5 3.5%, 10/20 kN 50.2 44.8 3.0 3.5%,20/30 kN 81.5 88.2 0.23 3.5%, 20/40 kN 72.8 90.6 0.26 6.0%, 0/20 kN 46.764.5 0.1 6.0%, 0/40 kN 40.0 77.4 0.7 6.0%, 10/20 kN 48.0 66.8 0.15 6.0%,20/30 kN 53.5 95.6 0.08 6.0%, 20/40 kN 48.3 93.9 0.00

The second set of tabletted product also used roasted and groundBrazilian coffee beans, with a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulk densityof ˜0.293 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜874 microns, and a moisturecontent of ˜4.6%. The roasted and ground coffee was separated into threebatches. One batch was mixed with ˜3.5 wt. % propylene glycol (PG),based on the total weight of the composition obtained. A second batchwas mixed with ˜1 wt. % propylene glycol. No flavor carrier was added tothe third batch, although it was mixed in a similar manner to the otherbatches. All mixing was done using a Forberg mixer.

Each of the three batches were made into tablets using a Fette 2200 SEtabletting press at a variety of pre-compression and main compressionforces. All tablets were produced at a rate of 90,000 tablets per hour.Hardness was measured immediately after production and again at least 6days after production. Friability was measured at least 6 days afterproduction. The results of these measurements are listed below in Table22. The minimal improvements in hardness and friability that accompaniedthe increases in liquid flavor concentration, as compared to thesignificant improvements observed in the test results of Example 10 andExample 13, set 1, suggest these results may be bad data, although thishas not been confirmed.

TABLE 22 Example 13—Set 2, Results Obtained Initial Final Friability, %LFC, Pre/Main Hardness, N Hardness, N %   0%, 0/20 kN 32.0 23.5 35.8  0%, 0/40 kN 43.8 40.0 11.5   0%, 10/20 kN 30.0 25.4 35.7   0%, 20/30kN 58.0 47.5 2.2   0%, 20/40 kN 59.0 51.4 1.2 1.0%, 0/20 kN 35.5 25.326.8 1.0%, 0/40 kN 47.4 41.7 8.3 1.0%, 10/20 kN 31.3 23.1 32.6 1.0%,20/30 kN 65.3 52.6 1.3 1.0%, 20/40 kN 61.7 53.8 1.1 3.5%, 0/20 kN 37.326.3 18.7 3.5%, 0/40 kN 50.8 44.3 4.9 3.5%, 10/20 kN 38.0 25.4 23.23.5%, 20/30 kN 66.8 54.5 1.4 3.5%, 20/40 kN 65.2 54.7 1.7

Example 14 Low Pre-Compression Tablets

Coffee beans including a mixture of washed arabicas, naturals, androbustas were roasted and ground, producing a ground coffee having aHunter L-color of ˜13.4, a bulk density of ˜0.275 g/cm³ and a meanparticle size of ˜709 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.5%. Tabletswere formed using varying pre-compression and final or main compression,and the hardness and friability of each tablet was calculated in amanner consistent with that described in Example 1. The results obtainedare set forth in the following Table 23:

TABLE 23 Example 14-- Results Obtained Dwell Initial Final Tablet Hard-Fria- Ktab/ Time, Compres- Compres- Density, ness, bili- hr msec sion,kN sion, kN g/cm³ N ty, % 82 15.3 0.5 9 0.640 7.4 81.7 82 15.3 0.5 20.70.817 26.5 13.7 82 15.3 0.4 25.2 0.859 29.5 10.4 82 15.3 0.6 41 0.89422.8 16.9 82 15.3 10.3 24.8 0.871 35.8 8.5 82 15.3 5 39 0.878 21.9 23.3

As shown, in tablets formed using very low pre-compression (less than 1kN), initial increases in final or main compression (from 9 kN to 25.2kN) improve hardness and friability, while further increases in maincompression (from 25.2 kN to 41 kN) actually diminish hardness andfriability (i.e., decrease hardness and increase friability), eventhough the density of the tablet has increased. Further, a tablet with alower main compression (24.8 kN) but higher pre-compression (10.3 kN)may provide improved hardness and friability as compared to a tabledformed with a higher main compression (39 kN) and a lowerpre-compression (5 kN).

Example 15 Pre-Compression

Brazilian coffee beans were roasted and ground. This ground roast coffeehad a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulk density of ˜0.301 g/cm³, a meanparticle size of ˜878 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.8%. Theground roast coffee so made was formed into cylindrical tabletscontaining ˜2.6-2.7 g ground roast coffee and having a diameter of about24 to 24.5 mm by means of a Fette Model 2200SE multiple stationtabletting machine operating at rates of 70,000 and 90,000 tablets perhour under different conditions in which the compaction forces in thepre-compression and main or primary compaction steps were varied.

The hardness and friability of the tablets were tested in a mannerconsistent with the tablets of Example 1. The tablets so formed werethen brewed in a manner consistent with the tablets of Example 1.

The Yield was calculated based on the grams of coffee solids recoveredin the brewed coffee (as determined by the mass and % brew solids inthis brewed coffee product). Meanwhile, the Yield ratio was determinedby comparing the Yield of coffee solids obtained when using inventivecoffee tablets in comparison with the yield of coffee solids obtained ina control experiment in which untabletted coffee was used.

The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 24:

TABLE 24 Example 15-- Results Obtained Dense Pre Main Br Yield absorbtab ktab/hr Comp Comp Hard Fri Index Index index absorb Abs/g 0.859 70 427 44.53 3.40 1.141 1.143 1.272 1.614 0.061 0.883 70 13.3 30.3 46.592.10 1.187 1.207 1.207 1.532 0.057 0.868 70 0.7 30.4 45.13 2.76 1.1641.183 1.204 1.528 0.058 0.883 70 13.3 30.3 46.59 2.10 1.187 1.207 1.2071.532 0.057 0.913 70 20 30.7 57.12 0.98 1.118 1.140 1.235 1.567 0.0590.889 70 0.6 45.2 46.55 8.14 1.141 1.149 1.253 1.590 0.060 0.923 70 12.940.3 54.66 1.40 1.118 1.133 1.227 1.557 0.059 0.934 70 20 38.5 59.971.02 1.198 1.187 1.255 1.593 0.060 0.901 70 0.6 51.2 47.86 5.03 1.1871.186 1.285 1.631 0.061 0.952 70 29.5 51.4 58.30 1.78 1.141 1.147 1.2511.588 0.060 0.767 90 0.5 21.2 28.03 18.49 1.095 1.102 1.132 1.436 0.0540.827 90 20.5 23.4 41.24 2.07 1.095 1.124 1.149 1.458 0.055 0.838 90 2021 42.68 2.21 1.107 1.106 1.199 1.521 0.057 0.876 90 0.5 39.2 41.08 9.661.232 1.240 1.259 1.598 0.060 0.899 90 13 34.9 46.64 3.10 1.118 1.1181.209 1.534 0.057 0.918 90 20.2 34.8 54.97 0.72 1.187 1.191 1.218 1.5460.058 0.878 90 0.7 51.1 40.15 7.57 1.175 1.200 1.254 1.591 0.060 0.87790 0.5 51.1 39.54 8.40 1.141 1.151 1.279 1.623 0.062 0.911 90 12.7 51.844.17 2.77 1.130 1.133 1.228 1.558 0.058 0.957 90 45.1 51.4 53.46 2.671.175 1.193 1.245 1.580 0.060

Example 16 Pre-Compression

Coffee beans including a mixture of washed arabicas, naturals, driedcoffees, and robustas were roasted and ground. This ground roast coffeehad a Hunter L-color of about 17-18, a bulk density of ˜0.288 g/cm³ amean particle size of about 700-800 microns, and a moisture content of˜4.43%. The ground roast coffee so made was formed into cylindricaltablets containing ˜2.66 gms ground roast coffee and having a diameterof about 24 to 24.5 mm by means of a Fette Model 2200SE multiple stationtabletting machine operating at rates of 70,000 and 80,000 tablets perhour under different conditions in which the compaction forces in thepre-compression and main or primary compaction steps were varied.

The hardness of the tablets so made was determined using a Varian VK200Tablet Hardness tester set in the N (Newton) mode, while the friabilityof the tablets obtained using a Varian Friabilator having a dual chamberdrum by rotating 25 grams of the tablets in the drum of the machine for100 revolutions at a rate of 25 rpm and then determining the amount ofthese tablets that passes through a #4 American Standard Wire Meshscreen. Multiple tablets were tested for each batch of tablets made.

The tablets so formed were then brewed into brewed coffee with Mr.Coffee® Model DR13 coffee makers, using 10 tablets (˜26.5 gms) and 1420ml of water for each batch of brewed coffee brewed. For comparisonpurposes, a control experiment was run in the same way but using 26.5gms conventional coffee, i.e., ground roast coffee in untabletted form.

The Yield was calculated based on the grams of coffee solids recoveredin the brewed coffee (as determined by the mass and percent brew solidsin this brewed coffee product). Meanwhile, the Yield ratio wasdetermined by comparing the Yield of coffee solids obtained when usinginventive coffee tablets in comparison with the yield of coffee solidsobtained in a control experiment in which untabletted coffee was used.

The results obtained are set forth in the following Table 25:

TABLE 25 Example 16-- Results Obtained Dense Pre Main Br Yield absorbtab ktab/hr Comp Comp Hard Fri Index Index index absorb Abs/g 0.955 704.7 51.6 50.3 6.46 1.09 1.11 1.186 1.78 0.067 0.956 70 12.9 38.4 57.12.87 1.04 1.11 1.124 1.69 0.0662 0.955 70 13.4 45.9 60.4 0.98 1.13 1.141.226 1.84 0.0692 0.909 70 3.7 45.1 49.83 11.28 1.136 1.158 1.212 1.820.0692 0.916 70 5.3 45.3 49.40 12.28 1.146 1.157 1.218 1.83 0.0692 0.95570 13.4 45.9 60.43 0.98 1.125 1.136 1.226 1.84 0.0692 0.955 70 4.7 51.650.29 6.46 1.094 1.113 1.186 1.78 0.067 1.012 70 29.3 51.8 71.49 1.461.094 1.101 1.176 1.76 0.0664 0.833 80 3.8 26.9 33.46 3.23 1.094 1.0941.216 1.82 0.0684 0.856 80 13.5 27.3 38.27 2.71 1.115 1.108 1.214 1.820.0683

Example 17 High Hardness Tablets Without a Binder

Coffee 17A was prepared from coffee beans including a mixture ofarabicas, dried arabicas, and robustas, roasted and ground to a HunterL-color of ˜18, a bulk density of ˜0.3125 g/cm³, a mean particle size of˜760 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.72%. Coffee 17B was preparedfrom coffee beans including a mixture of arabicas, dried arabicas, androbustas, roasted and ground to a Hunter L-color of ˜18, a bulk densityof ˜0.3125 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜760 microns, and a moisturecontent of ˜5.25%. Coffee 17C was prepared from decaffeinated coffeebeans, roasted and ground to a bulk density of ˜0.323 g/cm³, a meanparticle size of ˜782 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.79%. Coffee17D was prepared from coffee beans including a mixture of washedarabicas, naturals, and robustas having a Hunter L-color of ˜15.4, abulk density of ˜0.285 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜710 microns, anda moisture content of ˜4.89%. Coffee 17E was prepared from 10% regularground roast arabica coffee, 40% regular ground roast robusta coffee,and 50% ground roast arabica coffee derived from coffee beans that hadbeen low-moisture dried to a moisture content of about 5% to produce aground roast coffee mixture comprising 60% arabica and 40% robustacoffees, the coffee mixture having a Hunter L color of ˜15.7, a meanparticle size of ˜635 microns, a density of ˜0.247 g/cm³ and a moisturecontent of ˜4.46%.

Coffees 17A, 17B, 17C, 17D, and 17E were each made into tablets weighingabout 2.66 grams each (ranging from about 2.62 g to about 2.70 g) usinga Fette Model 2090 rotary tablet press set up to subject the tablets toa two-step compaction process in which the pre-compression step wascarried out at a lower compaction force than the main compression step.Tablets were made using several different operating conditions. Theseconditions were some combination of changes in operating speed (rpm) andresulting compression dwell time, pre-compression force, and/or maincompression force. Samples of the tablets from each run were tested forhardness and friability, with average values calculated for each ofthese properties. After compression, 10 tablets from each run werebrewed in a Mr. Coffee® Accel (Model PRX 23) ADC coffee-maker. Afterbrewing, the percent of solids extracted into the brew was measured byrefractive index, which was then converted into total solids extracted.

As shown in Table 26 below, tablets having very high hardnesses(i.e., >90N) were able to be produced without the aid of binders.

TABLE 26 Example 17--Results Obtained Pre Main Rotor dwell, Comp, Comp,pre/ avg avg % Brew tab Run Coffee tabs/hr rpm ms kN kN main mass HardFri Solids density 301 17A 30,000 17.2 41.9 16.4 39.5 0.42 2.90 92.10.32 0.697 0.964 302 17A 30,000 17.2 41.9 24.8 40.6 0.61 2.80 95.5 0.810.754 0.979 225 17B 29,500 17.0 42.6 16.7 41 0.41 3.14 104.3 0.38 0.7540.978 224 17B 30,000 17.2 41.9 25.5 38.5 0.66 3.03 117.4 0.41 0.7091.003  93 17C 60,000 34.5 21.0 35.5 45.4 0.78 3.01 92.3 1.05 0.725 1.021 85 17C 30,400 17.5 41.4 15.9 35.3 0.45 3.18 94.2 1.77 0.748 0.982   84A17C 30,300 17.4 41.5 25.5 40.6 0.63 3.02 97.1 0.64 0.703 0.988  86 17C30,000 17.2 41.9 15.9 45.5 0.35 3.19 104.4 0.74 0.776 1.006  91 17C30,000 17.2 41.9 35 34.9 1.00 2.99 108.0 0.35 0.709 1.008  87 17C 29,50017.0 42.6 24.7 45.5 0.54 3.13 108.8 0.54 0.77 1.023  92 17C 30,000 17.241.9 34.9 46 0.76 3.01 110.3 2.10 0.714 0.999  8 17D 30,600 17.6 41.1 2142.7 0.49 2.90 104.4 0.30 0.737 1.001  2 17D 29,600 17.0 42.5 20.8 40.90.51 2.89 106.2 0.20 0.731 1.013 250 17E 60,000 34.5 21.0 15.9 60.8 0.262.92 90.6 0.38 0.77 0.999 247 17E 60,000 34.5 21.0 24.9 42.7 0.58 2.8394.1 0.14 0.782 1.002 248 17E 60,000 34.5 21.0 29.2 40.6 0.72 2.78 96.80.26 0.686 1.007 241 17E 30,000 17.2 41.9 15.6 40.9 0.38 2.98 102.2 0.450.765 0.999 243 17E 30,300 17.4 41.5 25.2 59.5 0.42 2.95 103.2 0.22 0.771.035 244 17E 30,000 17.2 41.9 35.9 41.4 0.87 2.82 111.4 0.08 0.7761.023 242 17E 30,000 17.2 41.9 24.2 41.5 0.58 2.84 114.0 0.16 0.7141.009

Example 18 Hardness and Friability as a Function of Density,Pre-Compression

Coffee 18A was prepared from coffee beans including a mixture of washedarabicas, naturals, dried coffees, and robustas, roasted and ground to aHunter L-color of about 17-18, a bulk density of ˜0.288 g/cm³, a meanparticle size of about 700-800 microns, and a moisture content of˜4.43%. Coffee 18B was prepared from Brazilian coffee beans, roasted andground to a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulk density of ˜0.301 g/cm³, amean particle size of ˜878 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.8%.Coffees 18A and 18B were then each made into tablets weighing about 3grams each using a Fette Model 2090 rotary tablet press set up tosubject the tablets to a two-step compaction process in which thepre-compression step was carried out at a lower compaction force thanthe main compression step. Tablets were made using several differentoperating conditions. These conditions were some combination of changesin operating speed (rpm) (and resulting compression dwell time),pre-compression force, and/or main compression force. Samples of thetablets from each run were initially tested for hardness and density,with average values calculated for each of these properties. At least 6days after production, additional samples of each run were tested forhardness, density, and friability, with average values calculated foreach of these properties. These results were arranged by final densityfor each coffee, as shown in Table 27 below.

As shown in Table 27, tablets having similar densities exhibited widelyvarying friabilities and hardnesses.

TABLE 27 Example 18 -- Results Obtained Pre Main Rate Comp Comp Densecoffee name (ktab/hr) (kN) (kN) tab Hard Fri 18A 80 3.8 26.9 0.833 33.463.23 18A 70 13.1 25 0.845 35.93 13.69 18A 70 4.9 27.9 0.847 38.76 2.7918A 80 13.5 27.3 0.856 38.27 2.71 18A 80 8.9 29.8 0.861 40.36 2.08 18A80 3.6 36.9 0.878 41.64 9.40 18A 70 5.6 30.6 0.880 44.39 2.00 18A 70 930.7 0.886 45.10 1.85 18A 80 3.8 43.2 0.895 42.43 9.79 18A 80 13.5 33.20.899 47.32 1.27 18A 70 4.9 34.6 0.900 49.16 2.59 18A 70 20.2 30.2 0.90247.31 1.49 18A 70 12.9 29.9 0.902 47.15 2.29 18A 80 3.6 45.1 0.903 42.2010.19 18A 80 20.6 32.4 0.905 50.96 1.06 18A 70 13.4 33.6 0.906 51.531.25 18A 70 3.7 45.1 0.909 49.83 11.28 18A 80 3.7 53.2 0.915 48.67 8.4118A 70 5.3 45.3 0.916 49.40 12.28 18A 70 19.9 37.3 0.918 52.53 1.00 18A70 4.8 47.5 0.922 53.13 6.70 18A 80 13.3 39.9 0.930 54.39 1.12 18A 7013.4 40.4 0.935 57.47 1.13 18A 80 13.3 45.1 0.938 56.04 1.33 18A 80 19.939.9 0.940 58.68 0.64 18A 70 20.2 40.1 0.942 61.37 0.61 18A 70 13.4 45.90.955 60.43 0.98 18A 70 4.7 51.6 0.955 50.29 6.46 18A 70 12.9 38.4 0.95657.06 2.87 18A 70 20 50.6 0.969 63.27 0.75 18A 80 38.8 51.4 0.983 64.581.72 18A 70 29.3 51.8 1.012 71.49 1.46 18B 90 0.5 21.2 0.767 28.03 18.4918B 90 20.5 23.4 0.827 41.24 2.07 18B 90 20 21 0.838 42.68 2.21 18B 7012.3 25 0.847 40.89 3.09 18B 90 0.5 30.6 0.858 40.46 7.33 18B 70 4 270.859 44.53 3.40 18B 70 20 25.3 0.861 46.34 1.95 18B 90 13.6 28 0.86843.46 2.79 18B 70 0.7 30.4 0.868 45.13 2.76 18B 90 0.5 39.2 0.876 41.089.66 18B 90 0.5 51.1 0.877 39.54 8.40 18B 90 0.7 51.1 0.878 40.15 7.5718B 70 13.3 30.3 0.883 46.59 2.10 18B 70 0.6 34.7 0.887 46.49 3.63 18B70 0.6 45.2 0.889 46.55 8.14 18B 70 0.6 47.4 0.894 47.00 5.04 18B 7013.1 31.2 0.897 49.61 1.51 18B 90 13 34.9 0.899 46.64 3.10 18B 70 0.651.2 0.901 47.86 5.03 18B 70 13.15 35.9 0.906 49.51 1.49 18B 90 12.751.8 0.911 44.17 2.77 18B 70 20 30.7 0.913 57.12 0.98 18B 90 20.2 34.80.918 54.97 0.72 18B 70 12.9 40.3 0.923 54.66 1.40 18B 90 20.4 44.20.932 54.27 1.46 18B 70 20 38.5 0.934 59.97 1.02 18B 70 29.5 51.4 0.95258.30 1.78 18B 90 45.1 51.4 0.957 53.46 2.67 18B 70 12.9 37.4 50.45 1.5518B 70 12.9 45.2 51.06 1.70 18B 70 17.1 37 53.93 0.79 18B 70 17 45.655.74 1.09 18B 90 13 29.9 43.42 2.68 18B 90 12.9 36.7 45.20 3.38 18B 9013 44.9 48.28 2.76 18B 70 5.3 30.6 43.54 4.30 18B 70 5.3 36.8 45.96 4.7118B 70 5.2 45.5 43.92 6.02

Example 19 Brew Dynamics

Coffee 19A was prepared from coffee beans including a mixture of washedarabicas, naturals, dried coffees, and robustas, roasted and ground to aHunter L-color of about 17-18, a bulk density of ˜0.288 g/cm³, a meanparticle size of about 700-800 microns, and a moisture content of˜4.43%, and was made into tablets in five separate runs (A, B, C/D, E,and F), the tablets weighing about 2.65 grams each, using a Fette Model2090 rotary tablet press set up to subject the tablets to a two-stepcompaction process in which the pre-compression step was carried out ata lower compaction force than the main compression step. Tablets weremade using the operating conditions identified in Table 28 below. Coffee19B was prepared from Brazilian coffee beans, roasted and ground to aHunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulk density of ˜0.301 g/cm³, a mean particlesize of ˜878 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.8%, and was made intotablets in a single run (G), the tablets weighing about 2.65 grams each,using a Fette Model 2090 rotary tablet press set up to subject thetablets to a two-step compaction process in which the pre-compressionstep was carried out at a lower compaction force than the maincompression step. Tablets were made using the operating conditionsidentified in Table 28 below. Samples of the tablets from each run weretested for hardness and friability, with average values for each ofthese properties shown in Table 28. Additionally, tablets of acompetitive tabletted coffee product (H) were collected for testing, asidentified in Table 28 below.

After compression, 10 tablets from each run (totaling approximately 26.5g), equivalent amounts of the corresponding roasted and ground coffee,and 4 tablets (totaling approximately 28.7 g) of the competitivetabletted coffee product, were brewed with approximately 1420 g water ina Mr. Coffee® Accel (Model PRX 23) ADC coffee-maker having a waterdelivery rate of approximately 2.75 g/sec. To measure instantaneous brewcharacteristics at increments throughout the brew (or “brew dynamics”),the brew was collected at 20 second increments in separate, smallcontainers. For each 20 second accumulation or sample of brew, mass,refractive index, and absorbance were measured, and amount of brewsolids and yield were determined from the measured refractive index (asexplained in greater detail above). The samples were then incrementallyand chronologically combined to measure and calculate cumulative mass,refractive index, brew solids, and yield.

TABLE 28 Example 19, Set 1-- Results Obtained Pre- Main Hard- Fria- CodeKtab/ compression, Compression, ness, bility, Density, letter hr kN kN N% g/cm³ A 80 3.6 45.1 42.2 10.2 0.903 B 70 4.8 47.5 53.1 6.7 0.922 C 7017.2 45.2 63 0.9 D 70 17.2 45.2 63 0.9 E 70 29.3 51.8 71.5 1.5 1.012 F80 38.8 51.4 64.6 1.7 0.983 G 70 17 45.6 55.7 1.1 H

FIG. 5 graphically illustrates the average instantaneous coffee solidsconcentration over the course of the brew for the low pre-compressiontablets (A and B) of Coffee 19A, the high pre-compression tablets (C, D,E, and F) of Coffee 19A, Coffee 19A in roast and ground form, and thecompetitor tablet H. As shown, the roast and ground coffees and thecompetitive coffee tablets exhibit higher instantaneous concentrationsin an initial portion of the brews (i.e., the first 200-300 g of brew),while the inventive tabletted coffees exhibit higher instantaneousconcentrations than their roast and ground counterparts and thecompetitive tabletted coffee subsequent to these initial portions, mostsubstantially so in a mid-range portion of the brews (i.e., the 200-300g of brew immediately following the initial 200-300 g of brew).

FIG. 6 graphically illustrates the average cumulative extracted coffeesolids over the course of the brew for the low pre-compression tablets(A and B) of Coffee 19A, the high pre-compression tablets (C, D, E, andF) of Coffee 19A, Coffee 19A in roast and ground form, and thecompetitor tablet H. As shown, the tabletted coffees exhibited aninitial lag in extraction, as compared to their roast and ground coffeecounterparts, while exceeding the extraction of the roast and groundcoffees after an intermediate point in the brew (i.e., about 550-850 ginto the brew).

FIGS. 7 and 8 graphically illustrate the instantaneous coffee solidsconcentration and cumulative extracted coffee solids over the course ofthe brew for Coffee 19B in tabletted and roast and ground form, againshowing higher initial instantaneous concentrations of coffee solids forthe roast and ground coffee, and higher mid-range instantaneousconcentrations of coffee solids for the tabletted coffee, as well as aninitial lag in extraction for the tabletted coffee, as compared to theroast and ground coffee counterpart, with the tabletted coffee exceedingthe extraction of the roast and ground coffees after an intermediatepoint in the brew (i.e., about 550-850 g into the brew).

FIGS. 9 and 10 graphically show similar results in separately comparingfive different runs of tablets produced from Coffee 19A as compared totheir corresponding roast and ground coffee counterpart.

As an alternative measure of the initial and mid-range brewcharacteristics, 10 tablets from each run (totaling approximately 26.5g), equivalent amounts of the corresponding roasted and ground coffee,and 4 tablets (totaling approximately 28.1 g) of the competitivetabletted coffee product, were again brewed with approximately 1420 gwater in a Mr. Coffee® Accel (Model PRX 23) ADC coffee-maker. An initialapproximately 250 g portion of each brew was collected and a subsequent250 g (“mid-range”) portion immediately following the initial portionwas collected. For each of the initial and mid-range portions,refractive index and absorbance were measured, and amount of brew solidsand yield were determined from the measured refractive index (asexplained in greater detail above). The samples were then combined withthe remainder of each total brew to measure and calculate mass,refractive index, brew solids, and yield for each total brew. As evidentin Table 29 below, coffee brewed from the inventive coffee tabletsproduced with higher pre-compression force (i.e., greater than 30% ofthe main compression force) exhibited the lowest initial brew solids andabsorbances and the highest mid-range brew solids and absorbances.Coffee brewed from the roasted and ground coffee samples exhibited thehighest initial brew solids and absorbances and the lowest mid-rangebrew solids and absorbances. Coffee brewed from the inventive coffeetablets produced with lower pre-compression forces (8-10% of the maincompression force) exhibited higher initial brew solids and absorbancesand lower mid-range brew solids and absorbances that the coffee brewedfrom the higher pre-compression tablets. Coffee brewed from thecompetitive coffee tablets exhibited higher initial brew solids andabsorbances and lower mid-range brew solids and absorbances that thecoffee brewed from the lower pre-compression tablets.

TABLE 29 Example 19, Set 2-- Results Obtained Product: R&G R&G tab tabtab tab tab tab tab prior code: for A-F for G H “A” “B” “F” “C” “G” “E”Process Conditions rate ktab/hr na na 80 70 80 70 70 70 pre-compressionna na 3.6 4.8 38.8 17.2 17 29.3 main-compression na na 45.1 47.5 51.445.2 45.6 51.8 Tablet Properties Hardness na na 42.2 53.1 64.6 63.0 55.771.5 Friability na na 10.2 6.7 1.7 0.9 1.1 1.5 Brewing Brewer Mr. C Mr.C Mr. C Mr. C Mr. C Mr. C Mr. C Mr. C Mr. C grams brew S1 252.0 253 251251.4 252.4 252 251.5 252 249.4 (liquid): grams brew S2 250.2 249 251251.4 249.7 251 250.4 250 252.6 (liquid): total: 502.2 502.4 501.8 502.7502.0 503.1 501.9 502.4 502.0 ratio S1/S2 1.01 1.02 1.00 1.00 1.01 1.001.00 1.01 0.99 absorbance S1 3.421 2.555 2.67 2.276 2.44 1.798 1.7861.657 1.136 absorbance S2 1.549 1.317 2.181 3.11 3.109 3.288 3.309 3.1113.258 grams solids S1 4.661 3.39 2.99 2.49 2.62 1.89 1.91 2.02 1.20grams solids S2 1.126 1.27 1.98 3.24 3.05 3.72 3.98 3.43 3.79 AnalysisS2/S1 ratio absorbance 0.45 0.52 0.82 1.37 1.27 1.83 1.85 1.88 2.87solids extracted 0.24 0.37 0.66 1.30 1.16 1.97 2.08 1.70 3.17 S1/S2ratio absorbance 2.21 1.94 1.22 0.73 0.78 0.55 0.54 0.53 0.35 solidsextracted 4.14 2.67 1.51 0.77 0.86 0.51 0.48 0.59 0.32 S1/total (solids)0.707 0.577 0.452 0.343 0.354 0.261 0.256 0.302 0.165 S2/total (solids)0.171 0.216 0.3 0.446 0.411 0.513 0.534 0.513 0.522

Example 20 Tablet Properties at High Production Rates

Coffee 20A was prepared from coffee beans including a mixture of washedarabicas, naturals, and robustas, roasted and ground to a Hunter L-colorof ˜15.6, a bulk density of ˜0.285 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜690microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.8%. Coffee 20B was prepared fromcoffee beans including a blend of arabicas and robustas, roasted andground to a Hunter L-color of ˜16.8, a bulk density of ˜0.33 g/cm³, amean particle size of ˜806 microns, and a moisture content of ˜5.2%.Coffee 20C was prepared from coffee beans including a mixture ofarabicas, dried coffees, and robustas, roasted and ground to a HunterL-color of ˜16, a bulk density of ˜0.288 g/cm³, a mean particle size of˜760 microns, and a moisture content of 4.3%. Coffee 20D was preparedfrom Brazilian coffee beans, roasted and ground to a Hunter L-color of˜17.9, a bulk density of ˜0.294 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜885microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.7%. Coffee 20E was prepared fromBrazilian coffee beans, roasted and ground to a Hunter L-color of ˜16.8,a bulk density of ˜0.311 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜890 microns,and a moisture content of ˜5.1%. Coffee 20F was prepared from coffeebeans including a mixture of arabicas, dried coffees, and robustas,roasted and ground to a Hunter L-color of ˜15, a bulk density of ˜0.28g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜720 microns, and a moisture content of˜4.6%. Coffee 20G was prepared from Brazilian coffee beans, roasted andground to a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulk density of ˜0.301 g/cm³, amean particle size of ˜878 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.8%Coffee 20H was prepared from Brazilian coffee beans, roasted and groundto a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulk density of ˜0.305 g/cm³, a meanparticle size of ˜878 microns, and a moisture content of ˜5%. Coffee 201was prepared from Brazilian coffee beans, roasted and ground to a HunterL-color of ˜18.8, a bulk density of ˜0.301 g/cm³, a mean particle sizeof ˜878 microns, and a moisture content of ˜4.8%. Coffee 20J wasprepared from coffee beans including a mixture of dried and regularBrazilian coffees, roasted and ground to a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, abulk density of ˜0.329 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜878 microns, anda moisture content of ˜4.6%. Coffee 20K was prepared from Braziliancoffee beans, roasted and ground to a Hunter L-color of ˜18.8, a bulkdensity of ˜0.316 g/cm³, a mean particle size of ˜868 microns, and amoisture content of ˜4.6%. Each coffee was made into tablets in severalruns, using a Fette Model 2090 rotary tablet press set up to subject thetablets to a two-step compaction process. The production runs usedvarying tablet masses, production rates/dwell times, and pre-compressionand main compression forces. For a number of production runs, relativelyhigh production rates (or low compression dwell times) were used. Forproduction rates of 90,000 to 120,000 tabs per hour (9.7 ms-14 mscompression dwell time), tablets having relatively high hardness(greater than 40 N) and relatively low friability (less than 10) wereproduced, as shown in Table 30 below.

After compression, 10 tablets from each run (totaling approximately26-27 g) were brewed with approximately 1420 g water in a Mr. Coffee®Accel (Model PRX 23) ADC coffee-maker. After brewing, the absorbance ofthe brew was measured, as described above, and the percent of solidsextracted into the brew was measured by refractive index, which was thenconverted into total solids extracted and yield.

coffee ktab/ dwell Pre Main pre/ Tablet Refr Brew Yield abs/ Br Yieldabs name Run mass hr time Comp Comp main Hard Fri density Index Solid %Abs. gram index Index index 20A 19 2.70 120 10.5 20.6 41 0.50 52.5 2.61.029 1.33326 0.603 28.5 2.071 0.077 1.10 1.06 20A 18 2.64 120 10.5 20.531 0.66 46.9 6.1 0.976 1.33322 0.583 28.4 2.122 0.081 1.10 1.09 20A 202.68 120 10.5 30.8 40.2 0.77 52.6 7.6 1.034 1.33329 0.616 29.5 2.1420.079 1.14 1.10 20B 4 2.97 90 14.0 40.8 50.1 0.81 63.0 8.3 1.011 1.333550.740 32.1 2.184 0.073 1.26 1.12 20B 16 3.03 120 10.5 30.2 40 0.76 50.88.6 0.952 1.33343 0.683 29.6 2.242 0.075 1.16 1.15 20B 17 3.00 120 10.530.1 45.5 0.66 54.1 7.1 0.968 1.33344 0.689 29.4 2.252 0.074 1.15 1.1620B 2 2.96 90 14.0 19.9 50.8 0.39 56.1 4.2 0.979 1.33347 0.702 30.12.214 0.074 1.18 1.14 20C 5 2.66 90 14.0 40.0 55.8 0.72 56.1 5.7 0.9901.33325 0.598 28.6 2.059 0.077 1.12 1.10 20C 2 2.64 90 14.0 20.1 50.90.39 55.5 2.6 0.977 1.33328 0.612 29.3 1.991 0.074 1.15 1.06 20D 16 2.62130 9.7 26.5 46 0.58 41.5 8.1 0.953 1.33327 0.607 29.7 1.906 0.072 1.221.17 20E 4 2.67 90 14 30.7 49.6 0.62 56.3 4.7 0.993 1.33329 0.616 29.91.838 0.069 1.23 1.09 20E 1 2.65 90 14 29.9 40.4 0.74 52.7 4.2 0.9831.33323 0.588 28.4 1.948 0.073 1.17 1.16 20F 1 2.45 90 14 40.2 50.2 0.840.8 6.6 0.984 1.3331 0.526 28.2 1.939 0.080 1.11 1.17 20F 8 2.40 90 1419.9 49.9 0.4 47.1 2.0 0.973 1.33316 0.555 29.5 1.904 0.079 1.17 1.1520G 17 2.65 90 13.9 20.2 34.8 0.6 55.0 0.7 0.918 1.33309 0.570 27.61.546 0.058 1.19 1.191 1.218 20G 19 2.68 90 13.9 45.1 51.4 0.9 53.5 2.70.957 1.33308 0.565 27.6 1.580 0.060 1.18 1.193 1.245 20H 4 2.65 90 13.924.9 35.4 0.7 51.6 3.1 0.922 1.33300 0.521 25.7 1.553 0.060 1.08 1.0991.241 20H 7 2.59 100 12.7 29.6 40.8 0.7 43.7 4.7 0.923 1.33304 0.54326.5 1.530 0.057 1.13 1.132 1.223 20G 18 2.67 90 13.9 20.4 44.2 0.5 54.31.5 0.932 1.33306 0.554 26.5 1.545 0.058 1.15 1.146 1.217 20I 1 2.65 9014.2 20.3 40.2 0.5 51.4 1.2 1.33307 0.559 27.6 1.571 0.060 1.13 1.1431.205 20J 6 2.67 90 13.9 25.4 35 0.7 45.1 3.6 1.33306 0.554 26.7 1.4690.055 1.20 1.178 1.313 20K 7 2.65 90 13.9 24.5 35.2 0.7 53.8 1.9 1.333050.548 26.8 1.634 0.062 1.11 1.121 1.347

Although only a few embodiments of this invention have been describedabove, it should be appreciated that many modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thisinvention, which is to be limited only by the following claims.

While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventionsmay be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination inthe exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and featuresmay be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or invarious combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expresslyexcluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intendedto be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, whilevarious alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts andfeatures of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures,configurations, methods, devices and components, alternatives as toform, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, suchdescriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list ofavailable alternative embodiments, whether presently known or laterdeveloped. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of theinventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments anduses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodimentsare not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though somefeatures, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described hereinas being a preferred arrangement, composition, or method, suchdescription is not intended to suggest that such feature is required ornecessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary orrepresentative values and ranges may be included to assist inunderstanding the present disclosure; however, such values and rangesare not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to becritical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, whilevarious aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identifiedherein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, suchidentification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may beinventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described hereinwithout being expressly identified as such or as part of a specificinvention. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are notlimited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor isthe order that the steps are presented to be construed as required ornecessary unless expressly so stated. Also, the various featuresdiscussed above and claimed below may be considered to be separatebuilding blocks which may provide utility in and of themselves. Thus, itis contemplated that inventive devices and arrangements may be designedbased on the teachings herein using virtually any combination orpermutation of any one or more of these separate features withoutnecessarily some or all of the other features. Accordingly, it iscontemplated that tabletted products and their methods of production anduse may be claimed using virtually any combination or permutation of anyone or more of these features.

1-172. (canceled)
 173. A free-standing coffee tablet for use in anautomatic drip coffee maker (ADC), the coffee tablet comprising at leastabout 91% ground roast coffee, having a density of at least 0.90 g/cm³,and exhibiting a hardness of at least about 30 N (Newtons), a friabilityof no greater than about 10%, and readily disintegrates when contactedwith hot water during brewing in the ADC.
 174. The coffee tablet ofclaim 173, which further comprises a binder.
 175. The coffee tablet ofclaim 174, wherein the binder comprises a liquid flavor carrier orpropylene glycol.
 176. The coffee tablet of claim 175, wherein theliquid flavor carrier has a viscosity of ˜15 to ˜65 cP and a surfacetension of ˜30 to ˜50 dynes/cm at 25° C.
 177. The coffee tablet of claim173, which contains instant coffee in an amount of ≧˜0.5 wt. % and ≦˜15wt. %, based on the total amount of coffee in the tablet.
 178. Thecoffee tablet of claim 173, which has a volume less than about 3.2 cm³.179. The coffee tablet of claim 173, which comprises at least about 96%coffee.
 180. The coffee tablet of claim 173, wherein the automatic dripcoffee maker (ADC) has a water delivery rate of approximately 2.5-3.1g/sec; ten (10) of the tablets, unbroken, are capable of brewing with1420 ml of water in the ADC a consumable coffee beverage having anabsorbance per gram of >0.07; and the coffee tablets exhibit a yieldgreater than 26% when brewed.
 181. A process for producing a coffeetablet comprising subjecting ground roast coffee to a multi-stepcompaction process including a pre-compression step and a subsequentmain compression step, the pre-compression step being carried out at alower compaction force but in the same compaction die as the maincompression step so as to produce a coffee tablet exhibiting a hardnesswhen dry of at least about 30 N (Newtons), a friability when dry of nogreater than about 10%, and readily disintegrates when contacted withhot water during brewing in the ADC.
 182. The process of claim 181,wherein the tablet is made from ground roast coffee derived from coffeebeans that have been dried to a moisture contents of ˜1% to ˜7 wt. %before roasting, grinding, and tabletting.
 183. The process of claim181, wherein the pre-compression step is carried out at a pressureof >˜36.1 MPa and ≦˜106.1 MPa.
 184. The process of claim 181, whereinthe main compression step is carried out at a pressure of >˜53.0 MPa and<˜169.7 MPa.
 185. The process of claim 181, wherein at least one of thecompression steps has a compression dwell time<75 milliseconds.
 186. Theprocess of claim 181, wherein the delay between the end of thepre-compression dwell time and the beginning of the main compressiondwell time is about 80-900 milliseconds.
 187. The process of claim 181,wherein the total duration from the beginning of the pre-compressiondwell time to the end of the main compression dwell time isapproximately 0.1-1.0 seconds.